


Victory March

by geekinlikeaboss



Category: Frostiron - Fandom, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, FrostIron - Freeform, M/M, NSFW, Slow Build, Timeline, relationship pending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-02
Updated: 2015-03-21
Packaged: 2018-01-14 06:58:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 43,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1257145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geekinlikeaboss/pseuds/geekinlikeaboss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When we see Loki, we see a broken prince. Someone who once sat on top of the world. One day, he discovered the dark truth of his world and was cast into perdition by it.</p><p>When we see Tony Stark, we see a broken prince. Someone who once sat on top of the world. One day, he discovered the dark truth of his world and was cast into perdition by it.</p><p>And he climbed back out.</p><p>Maybe we just think he could help Loki do the same.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

_____________________________________________________________________________________________  
 **Prologue  
** _“You have played,_  
(I think)   
And broke the toys you were fondest of,   
And are a little tired now;   
Tired of things that break, and—   
Just tired.   
So am I.” ****  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

He remembered how the stairs had seemed so much greater as a child. How the throne of _Hlidskjalf_ had seemed so much grander and more imposing. How his father…the man he had grown up calling father, always seemed so forbidding when he sat upon it. People bowed and gave him all the things a king was supposed to be given. Respect, fealty, love…

And sometimes, fear.

His world had been these great and powerful halls. And it amused him to think that no matter how far he strayed, somehow he always came back to them.

Back to the home that was not really home.

But then, he had been to greater worlds now. Worlds where the thrones were made of entire cosmoses. He no longer needed to bow at the ever watchful eye of the All-Father who looked down at him with such disappointment. He had seen true power.

And true power deserved fear.

The silence between the two men was so terrible that even the ravens did now caw to disturb it.

Finally, Odin spoke. “Have you nothing to say for yourself? No clever words to twist your intentions?”

Loki thought for a moment, then grinned. “What can I say? I hear the popular excuse on Midgard is to blame everything on your upbringing. But then I suppose I’m a little confused on the whole, nature versus nurture argument.”

“Loki…” Frigga stood down at the bottom of the stairs, her hands wringing together. “Please. If there is any reason. Anything you might say that could sway this…”

“Oh but I would not dare interfere with the decisions of the king, mother. What sort of a son do you take me for?” He turned at glared at Odin. “After all, have I not always been the most loyal, the most obedient of children? Have I not always put the interests of Asgard and her throne above my own?” He gestured as best he could past the heavy manacles. “When Thor was cast down by your own hand, did I not keep your law? When Joutunhiem threatened war did I not protect Asgard?”

“You betrayed your brother when you allowed the frost giants in to Asgard in the first place…”

“I revealed a danger that existed for ages before that.”

“You took the throne of Asgard.”

“I was the only one left after you banished your real son!”

“And when Thor returned? Did you yield to his right? Did you do as a dutiful child should have and turn the throne to him?”

“To the great oaf? To the man who incited a war with the jotun’s in the first place?” Loki snapped in challenge. “What fool would ever see him as a king?” He took a step forward, but the guards slammed their spears down, halting his advance. “But that would be preferable wouldn’t it? You would rather place an arrogant, war-mongering, glory hound on the throne than a frost giant’s spawn?” he bared his teeth like an animal. “You raised me to be a king! How can you possibly expect me to be anything less?”

“And was that your intentions on Midgard? To oppress their people and rule over them by use of the chitauri?”

Loki straightened and his lips thinned. “I would have saved them.”

Odin sat forward in his throne, suddenly interested. “Saved them? From whom?”

The sense of loathing shot through his very core. “Ah. So it matters when the humans are at risk. The boy you spent a millennium and more calling your son means little when he falls through the endless abyss of space. But a few meager humans die and suddenly there you are. The concerned and benevolent patriarch.” He scoffed with ill humor. “Where’ve you been for the last thousand years of human born slaughter and genocide?”

“The will of Asgard is to protect the Nine Realms from chaos and dissent into darkness. One world alone cannot demand all our attentions.”

“Or any of it since the end of the Viking era.”

“ _SILENCE!_ ”

“Enough both of you!” Frigga snapped her hands out with all the authority she wielded. The guards jumped as she approached and looked quickly from their queen to their king to see if they would be permitted to interfere. Odin sat still as stone but one look from her vicious eyes quieted their blades. “Loki, my son. If you would speak in your defense then do so now! Else there is nothing I can do to prevent your fate.”

Her face was so full of a mothers worry and love that his could not tear himself away from her. “So then, my fate was decided even before my trial?” That was why she had stayed. For one last look at her son. Frigga closed her eyes and gave the smallest nod. She could not betray her king by acknowledging the violated legal process. No trial for Loki. No decision made after the All-Father had listened to his plea.

Odin wanted the shame of his adopted child as far flung from him as could be.

“Than what can I say?” he asked her, only half in mocking.

Frigga bowed her head and took four steps back.

“Loki, for your crimes against Asgard, Joutunhiem, and Midgard, you have brought shame to the house that took you in. You have burnt the honor and dignity that was entrusted to us, as protectors of the Nine Realms.” Odin stood from his seat and his ravens took flight, cawing and circling the pale man. The guards dropped suddenly to their knees, holding tight the chains as they moved as far from the prisoners as they could. He was drug to the floor with them, struggling to hold his pride if not his stance. “And as you have shown no reason, no remorse, no sorrow for your actions, we can give no leniency for your sentence.”

Odin lifted his spear, Gungnir and struck it against the tile work. A ring echoed in the halls as the dark aether bound to his will was summoned, swirling about in brackish hues.

If he knew what was about to happen, he did not let it lessen him. Loki would not be brought to beg. Not now. And not for him.

The All-Father let the power subscribe to him, gathering the force of it in his hands. The effort taxed him greatly, his brown covered with sweat, the lines of his face harsh and strained. Loki could feel the demand of it pulling at his being, tearing down, down, down to the core of him. From behind the burning light he could see Frigga, watching, committing it to memory as she cried silently for him. A great hole began to widen in his chest and he finally gasped from the pressure of it.

Green flame and light was being extracted from his body. The warmth of the Aesir left him, the pale hue of his skin becoming frigid and scarred. Coldness seeped into his bones and he felt the gnaw of ice in his veins. The pleasant summer air of Asgard became heavy and wet to his skin. Loki looked down and clenched his black nailed fists to his chest. It was gone. All of it. The connection he had spent years honing at his mother’s side. The glowing beauty of magic in his soul.

“The name Loki Odinson, is taken from you. You will be erased from the walls of my forebears. You will be gone from my household and no longer counted among my sons.” Odin said in a voice like the roll of thunder. Perhaps it was the difficulty of conjuring the aether. Loki could not let himself believe there was sorrow in his heart as he spoke. “The name Loki Laufeyson belongs to you only until you leave the borders of Asgard. You are banished, Loki Laufeyson. You are no longer a prince. No longer a man. No longer to be recognized under any known law. Asgard will not defend your deeds nor shelter you from your enemies. You will be seen now by all as you truly are…” Odin looked down at him. “A monster.”

“How fitting.” Loki replied in a dead voice. “That’s what I’ve always been to you after all.”

“Take this creature from my site.”

The chains tugged at his body and he let himself go with them. The emptiness tore at his body. He did not dare give one last look to see if his mother…if Frigga was still there. If she had turned from him he might break in front of everyone. At least if he did not know, he could lie to himself later.

They marched him through the streets of Asgard. He remembered once, as a small child, watching Odin banish someone. He had watched the sad episode play out with such curiosity.

_“Why won’t they look at him mother?” Loki asked, holding the hem of her skirts._

_“Because my boy, that man has now been banished. He took the lives of many of the All-Father’s subject. Not in fair combat, but due to the sickness of his own mind. The banished are no longer under our protection, and are seen as cursed. No one wants to look at him go, for fear they will catch his curse.”_

Loki found himself wondering if the madman had felt anything as he passed the houses and market stalls. If he had looked at the faces of people he knew and wondered if any of them might miss him. Not one of them would meet his eyes. For the briefest moment, Fandral looked at him, perhaps an old thought or bit of pity swayed him. But whatever had passed between them was centuries old, and never more than a passing fancy. There was no mercy there or pity.

Loki would not have accepted it anyhow.

The guards walked him across the rainbow bridge to Heimdall’s watchtower. The figure waiting for him did nothing to improve his mood.

“Of course it would be you.”

The blond thunder god looked his blue figure up and down, clear discomfort showing at the frost giant appearance. “Father has appointed me…”

“Ah but you forget. I am not counted among the sons of Odin anymore. Officially now.”

Thor scrunched his face distastefully but said nothing. “I have been appointed to ensure that you leave Asgard. And that it is infact you who is leaving.”

Loki tossed back his black hair and chuckled bravely. “So what’s it to be Thor? Shall we follow old themes and chain me up to a boulder with a snake above my head? I doubt Sigyn would be interested but you never know.”

“It would be best if this were done silently.” Thor answered and took the chains from the guards. They bowed and dismissed themselves as he led Loki to the Bi-Frost.

Heimdall looked at Loki with no trepidation in his golden eyes. “I will be keeping an eye on you.”

“Yes, because that’s always been so beneficial to you in the past.”

“Do not make this more troublesome.” Thor advised as they stood on the platform. Heimdall slid his sword into the passage and the turbines began to spin. As the engines whirled, Thor spoke in a soft whisper. “I swore to you once that you would always be my brother. That a day would never come where I would fail you as I once had.”

“That day has come. And for all my sins there is nothing I can do to right the wrongs between us, Loki.” He turned, a small betraying glance at the blue and demonized one beside him.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself Thor.” Loki stood straight as the light began to encompass them. “You’ve failed me dozens of times since then.”

***

The ground steamed and singed on the frozen wasteland around then, the scorch marks of the Bi-frost gleaming in the ice. Winds and snow whipped about their heads and as Loki opened his eyes, he could see glaciers tall as mountains. “Joutunheim? This is where you will exile me to?” he scoffed.

“You underestimate father.” Thor answered. “On Joutunhiem you would still be a prince, and the son of Laufey. With their king dead there is too great a chance you would rise to power.”

Loki took another look. “Midgard…” he said in hateful tones.

“You are lucky. The council would have had you let on a barren rock.” Thor shoved his out of the circle, clicking the manacles of. “As it is, there is scant magic on this realm, and none of it accessible to you.”

“So this is it then. The next 4 thousand years malingering away amongst mortals?” He laughed bitterly. “A more fitting punishment than I would have thought the All-Father capable of.”

Thor grabbed the hilt of his hammer and squeezed it tightly. He turned as though to say something in retort, but then his eyes glossed over. “The name Loki is now forbidden in Asgard. Should we meet again…” he choked and for a moment it looked as though he might break. But the blond warrior steeled himself. “Should we meet again…I will treat you as frost giants should be treated.” Thor pointed Mjolnir at Loki. “You have been warned.”

There was a brilliant flash of color and light and Loki was left alone in the cold.


	2. Chapter One

_Six months later…_

“We have SHIELD headquarters in every state, the helicarrier and Stark tower.” Bruce argued. “Why do you need another mansion?”

“Because A: The Mansion isn’t for me, it’s for the Avengers. B: I don’t want SHIELD looking over our shoulder every single second of the day. And 3:…no…yes 3: Right around the corner is the best gyros in NYC. Frankly that’s all the excuse I need.” Tony argued reasonably as he overlooked the blueprints, grabbing a powdered doughnut from the box. With his free hand he grabbed a small, technical looking circle and placed it on the ground. “Now, JARVIS are you up and running?”

 _Sir I am fully operational and at your disposal. Though_ _running may prove somewhat_ _of a shock for the both of us._

“Alright give me a full 3D replica, life sized scale.”

The framework for the mansion lit up like an azure Christmas tree as power electrified the walls. They had just finished the groundwork and framing, but Tony was always the sort of person who liked to see the big picture. Every detail, down to the light fixtures and power sockets was mapped out with precision, as Tony was determined to show Bruce.

“Now of course you can decorate your room, however you like. I’m sure Cap will probably Fung Shui the thing like army barracks but hey we can always take a trip to the surplus store.” He gestured to the left. “A fully functional, very well stocked kitchen and pantry, capable of fending off even your appetite.”

“I actually don’t eat much…unless the other guy’s been busy.” Bruce said as he looked around. He couldn’t help but notice the expensive marble counter tops matched perfectly with the mahogany cabinets and polished brass knobs. “Do you do decorating when you get bored?”

“Aesthetics is part of any good design model.” Tony defended absently. “It’s all well and good if it works but studies show people like it better when it’s pretty.”

“Which explains your PR strategy over the last five years.”

“I love it when you sass me.” Tony grinned like a kid in a candy shop. The Stark tower had been relatively easy to get back on line. Mostly just an issue of clean up and repair. He had some new ideas for a containment grid that would cut of any outsourced power usage and essentially recycle the energy back into the more minor functions. _That’s going to be complicated._ He also wanted to ensure that the mansion hooked up to the tower so he could either provide assistance or shut it down in an emergency. The problem there was that he didn’t want anyone else piggybacking on the signal… like S.H.I.E.L.D. JARVIS had let him know that, shortly after the tower came back online, his favorite ‘super-secret’ spy organization was taking the opportunity to install some of their own in his system. It wasn’t actively doing anything but watching him. And the S.H.I.E.L.D hackers were talented enough that even JARVIS was having trouble getting through the firewalls.

But Tony defiantly did **not** like having someone watching over him.

Unless it was Pepper. Or Rodney. Or Bruce who was now reluctant part of the ‘Let’s all keep Tony from doing any more damage to himself than absolutely necessary club.’

“So…building this monstrosity had absolutely nothing to do with how little you’ve been sleeping?”

 _Well that was on cue._ Tony did a half turn and shrugged. “I sleep. I sleep just fine.”

“When you’ve taken enough tranquilizers to knock out The Other Guy.”

“JARVIS monitors my vitals. If something goes awry he can dial 911.”

“The fact that you don’t seem to see anything wrong with that statement is exactly the problem.” Bruce said with the sort of passive aggressive mumble that would have irritated him had it been anyone else.

Tony spread his arms wide and tried to be nonchalant. “I am…dealing. I am working on projects. I am motivated. I am…” The Avengers Mansion was one of about two dozen or more projects Tony had going at any one time. Between the reconstructing of the Iron Man suit, repairs to Stark tower, a few contracts with some trusted clients, he never stopped too terribly much. There wasn’t time. If he wasn’t in the lab viewing the planning stages of something, he was in R&D, making sure it would work and what it would take. If he wasn’t in R&D he was on location. If he wasn’t ion location…

He was actually finding a little bit of time with Pepper.

“Using coping mechanisms to deal with the fact that you very nearly died.”

“Well if it ever happen again you can just yell at me some more.” He smiled. That charming, deflecting smile. Bruce shook his head and Tony went to move to the upstairs and show off the rest of his plans in progress.

_Sir, I believe a S.H.I.E.L.D vehicle has just arrived outside the premise._

“It’s not technically a premise yet JARVIS.”

_Close enough for layman’s terms sir._

Sure enough, a large black van with the S.H.I.E.L.D logo was pulling up just now. It didn’t seem to be in any rush, so obviously not a direct emergency. But the dour look on the agents face always had a way of putting a halt to any good mood. They walked over and gave Bruce the same amount of berth most people treated him with. It was almost as if they were wondering is he was playing Tony’s body guard.

“Mr. Stark, we would like for you to accompany us please.” Agent Hill said at last, looking up at him from the ground. “We have a problem and you appear to be just the man to help.”

“Sorry, cappuccino machine is down. You’ll have to find a Starbucks.” He called out, taking his tablet off one of the support beams and clicking on it, pretending to be as preoccupied as possible. Not so preoccupied however that he didn’t notice the long suffering look Agent Hill gave Bruce. All his fellow scientist could do was shrug.

“Mr. Stark, S.H.I.E.L.D has been monitoring your activity since the New York attack…”

“Which is exactly the reason I’m not too keen on helping them right now.”

“And we have noticed your delving into furthering your palladium research.” Agent Hill continued without skipping a beat. “We believe it may be possible for us to mutually benefit one another on this as well as maintain and protect the Earth.”

Tony sighed and turned around. “Okay, I’m listening.”

Agent Hill looked back at Bruce somewhat apologetically. To his credit, Banner didn’t move. “Mr. Stark we have been told that you are to be brought to headquarters to further discuss this. Alone.”

He gestured to his friend. “Bruce has spent the better part of the last six or seven months helping me with a variety of projects, most of which include the possible expansion of palladium. I think his input could be valuable.”

“I don’t want to step on any toes.” Bruce adjusted his glasses and tried to seem inconsequential. Tony could understand why. Anything S.H.I.E.L.D was involved in usually meant getting pulled into the super secret spy world again. That sort of environment was a trigger for his ‘condition’. But still, Tony didn’t want to see the brilliance of Bruce Banner passed over so casually.

“If having Dr. Banner work with you is a necessity, I would strongly suggest discussing it with Director Fury.” Agent Hill suggested. She walked up the stairs, her hand disturbing the holograph of the mahogany carved banister. “Tony, we have a world to protect and you are the scientist who might help us prevent problems like the one last summer.” She looked at him with calculating eyes. “Are you still having nightmares?”

Tony rolled his eyes. “I really wish you guys would stop watching through my security cameras.”

“Take it up with Director Fury.” She nodded. “Tony, get in the damn car or I will have the agents put you in the car.”

***

Thirty minuets later he was eyeballing the schematics and had already discovered a litany of problems.

“So…what you’re telling me is…” he scrunched his face, his jaw clenched down hard. “You hacked my security feed, saw my blue prints, gave them to your shitty scientists to try and finish off and when they failed, miserably I might add…” Tony sat up away from the holoscreen. “You realized you wouldn’t be able to do this without my help so you decided to recruit me whether I liked it or not?”

Director Fury looked at him through his one good eye, deadpan and in the mood for very little bullshit. “Mr. Stark these are based off of notes you scribed down in the middle of a drinking binge two weeks after the New York. You then woke up the next morning, looked them over and had JARVIS put them in the scraps folder along with all the other projects conceived of in much the same manner.” He walked around the table, his frame as imposing as it could possibly be. “When we found it, yes during one of your archive dumps into our system, we saw the potential of it…” he gestured to the schematics on screen. “A world-wide palladium powered defense system. A dome that could be triggered when an alien force enters our solar system. Only you could conceive of something like that with blood-alcohol levels of .30.”

“I scrapped it because it won’t work. Not on that level anyhow.” He reached forward, moving pieces where they fit best. Some part of him knew he was giving away information for free, but his engineer brain just could handle seeing components in the wrong place. “It’s too big. You’d have to distribute palladium powering centers in a grid ever thousand miles across the earth. It took me long enough to create this palladium core… I can’t imagine trying to create and store 617,969 more.” Tony gestured to his ARC reactor. “Not to mention I’m not comfortable just handing over the secret of it to you and you’re little ‘ends justify the means’ operation.”

“Stark, this is about global protection. Making sure that another chitauri attack doesn’t happen, ever.” For all his faults, Fury wasn’t just about the big picture. He drew up video footage from after the attack. The destruction, the reports of the death tolls, all paraded on the screen. “I told you once our world is getting smaller. We now have established contact with at least two alien races, both of which we know very little about. We assume Asgard is with us because Thor came down to help, but was that our of sympathy or because his estranged brother was involved. Would they be so willing to help again if the Earth were in danger? We know the chitauri are hostile and while they might not be capable of getting here at the moment that says nothing about what might happen in the future.” He gave Tony a hard look. “We need a defense strategy, Stark. We need something at the very least to show we won’t go down quietly.”

Tony sighed. “It doesn’t change the fact that you can’t just mass produce palladium.” He shifted the scene away. “Sure I could make more cores, given time and enough energy, but we’d still have to create a containment system for each of them. Not to mention a device that could magnify their power into a defensive shield. I’ve only ever done that in limited capacity with the Suit. It takes a big push of power and it usually drains my reserves. There is no guarantee the shield would be stable and even if so, for how long? How big of a hit could it take? How many hits? What happens when the power starts to run dry? How to we replace the core with our destabilizing the shield?”

“This is why we need you.” Director Fury admitted. “You say it can’t be done world wide? Fine, localize it. Make one solid defense shield for a small area. I’ll give you as many scientists, engineers and technicians as you want…”

“I want Bruce.” He said simply. Fury started to shake his head. “Tell you the same thing as I told Hill, he’s the only other person who’s worked closely with my on palladium applications. He’s knows them almost as well as I do by now. I don’t need a bunch of MIT graduates mucking up my lab.”

“Okay…fine. You get Banner. What else?”

Tony looked back at the screen and wondered how much bargaining power he had. “I want to work from home. My own lab is already set up for stuff like this and all the equipment I need is there. Plus…” he hesitated. “I get the schematics.”

“I beg your pardon?” The politest words said with the best tone of **fuck you** Tony had ever heard.

“I don’t trust S.H.I.E.L.D. You guys have a tendency of taking things and making them bigger to go boom.” He looked back to the Director’s eye patch. “When the experimental phase is over and you have a feasible prototype, I’ll give you the finished plans. But all the blueprints, all the research, all the notes, the video feeds, everything else comes with me. You want to harness this to make a mega death ray for the good of all man-kind you do that on your own time.”

Fury stood up, hands behind his back and every bit the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. “A working, stable prototype. Capable of protecting an area…let’s say the size of Washington.”

 _Oh like you didn’t have that in mind the whole time._ Tony rolled his eyes. “Yeah let’s say about that size. I’m going to need access to S.H.I.E.L.D’S database.”

Fury nodded in agreement. “You will be given level one access. Basic information only.”

“Yeah. Like I won’t hack that in the first fifteen minutes.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”

***

Two weeks in and Tony was actually reasonably satisfied with their progress.

Not the with shield generator. That was a WIP that was going to take months to get to where it was needed.

JARVIS hacking through the S.H.I.E.L.D mainframe and doing massive information dumps into his personal archives on the other hand was going swimmingly. Most of it wasn’t really of any concern to him. A few dozen secret missions. Some technology they probably were not supposed to have their hands on. And with a little finagling, he would soon have access to current S.H.I.E.L.D readings.

“JARVIS how’s it coming?”

_Doing quite well sir. I must say, the S.H.I.E.L.D security firewalls are expertly designed. I believe they may have generously borrowed some of my technology in order to fill in previous security gaps._

Tony snickered. “JARVIS you almost sound impressed.”

_Merely invigorated, sir. Most firewalls are not capable of defending themselves against me. I find the entire experience rather exhilarating._

“Simmer down big boy. Get this new data assimilated and I’ll see if Fury will let you ask his daughter to the prom.” He promised. Tony was only haphazardly keeping an eye on it. For the most part he was maintaining the project, looking over blueprints and seeing where the redesign would have to start. Bruce was working through some of the stabilizing units. The biggest problem they were facing was the simple fact that palladium had a shelf life of approximately eight to ten months. If it remained untapped, that is if nobody was using it, the palladium core could remain stabilized for decades, possibly longer. The reason his kept needing replaced was due to the Suit. It used up a great deal of energy when he went parading around playing hero. If they were going to use the core as a shield though, there was the need for it to continue being stabilized seamlessly even through an attack over a wide area.

Tony hummed and began switching screens, moving around the core unit on the blue print closer to the cooling chamber. He was mumbling to himself absently. He would tell people he was talking to JARVIS but unless Bruce was in the room he knew he was basically talking to himself. Pepper thought it was cute. Like he needed to have someone to talk to who could really truly knew what the hell he was gabbing on about.

 _Pepper_. He pulled up his date book on another screen and checked, proud with himself for remembering. They were supposed to be going to a charity banquet tonight. He checked the time clock. _Four hours. Plenty of time._ He thought and set JARVIS to alert him half an hour after the banquet had begun. What was the point of being Iron Man if you couldn’t show up late and still demand all the attention?

“JARVIS, how’s Bruce doing on the stabilizer?”

A new window popped up and he could see Bruce fiddling around with some of the attachments. “How’s it going there Jolly Green?”

“Uh…not good.” Bruce said and took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes irritably. “I don’t know what your plans looked like before but S.H.I.E.L.D made a damn mess of them. I’m going to take off, grab a bite to eat and come back for a fresh start tomorrow.” He stood, going for his jacket and suddenly seemed to remember something. “Oh uh…there was something JARVIS was trying to get me to pay attention to…” he snapped his fingers and remembered. “Here…” he clicked the screen and sent a chart to Tony. “You put me in control of manufacturing the cooling unit so JARVIS dumped a whole bunch of information about palladium heat signatures on me at once.”

Tony saw what had gotten JARVIS’s attention. The chart showed the various subsectors of S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters, their power source and what they were using to keep it stabilized. He wasn’t surprised to see some of the holding cells were nuclear powered. He didn’t even want to think about who they might be keeping hidden down there. After all, one of them had been built to contain Bruce.

But what had caught him was the application of temperature control. Most of the cells maintained an approximate temperature of 72 degree Fahrenheit. But one in particular cell the monitor was showing a spike at 136 degrees. Tony vaguely remembered something about curiosity killing the cat before he opened the video feed. He couldn’t tell who it was past the red glare and heat refraction, but there was someone in that room. Heavy chains were keeping them in a standing position. There was no audio but the figure was slumped and weakened. “JARVIS give me a lock on that room.”

_Sir, I’m having difficulty bypassing the security measures at the moment. That cell in particular is resistant to my skill._

“Make it happen buddy.” Tony said with confidence. Something itched in his brain to see who they were housing there on the lowest prison levels. There was something familiar about that shape. It gave him a bad feeling all over.

_Sir?_

“Talk to me JARVIS.”

_Genetic signatures reveal the person in question to be the interstellar war criminal, Loki of Asgard._

“What? No he’s on Asgard. Thor took him…”

_Apologies sir. I can reconfirm if you wish._

Tony waved it off. “No. Don’t worry about it.” He looked the screen up and down, trying to see the familiar face. What would Loki even be doing in S.H.I.E.L.D’s holding cells? Had Fury struck some sort of deal with Asgard? Not impossible but also not likely. Thor had been off world since the New York incident and even Jane Foster hadn’t seen him. Had Loki tricked Thor and evaded capture until now?

The figure on the video feed stumbled to the floor and seemed to go still for a moment.

_Sir, his vital signs are reporting exceeding low._

Tony watched as the room was bathed in a vivid blue light and a door slid open as four agents came in. Bathed in the blue glow, they used a set of restrained sticks to pin the figure down. The heat waves died and Tony could see a fine mist… _cold air…_ being pumped into the room. His eyes couldn’t look away from the screen when a doctor came forward, checked his vitals, stuck him with a large needle and then backed up. Loki stirred, slowly, painfully, his frame shaking uncontrollably. The slipped the restraint sticks off him and left the room with the same army like precision they had entered it in. The second the door slid shut, the blue light died and the heavy red lamp came back on. Loki tilted his face up towards the camera, and Tony could see the cracking and peeling of his skin, the shrunken state he was in.

_Sir, S.H.I.E.L.D has detected our feed…_

“Cut the video JARVIS.” Tony said in a detached voice. That had been unexpected. So Fury had Loki and they were torturing him. Most likely for information regarding the Chitauri. “Pull up the reports confirmed from New York.” They were the same ones Fury had shown him a few weeks ago. All the chaos and destruction. Over 700 confirmed dead with a few thousand injured.

 _Fuck it._ Tony closed the window. _Fuck it he deserves this._ He stood up from the desk and went to take a show. Looked like pepper would actually be spending a full evening with him.


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quick warning for some implied torture!

_He remembered the cool dankness of the cave. How different it was from the dry heat of the desert. He remembered the way the forge would make him sweat as Yinsen built with him._

_He remembered the anger of his kidnappers when he fell short of expectations. What they would do to spur him on. He was too valuable to risk injuring. They needed him to build their war machines. To do what he did best and be their ‘merchant of death’. So they found other ways to keep Tony Stark under their control. Sometimes they would ‘forget’ to feed him and Yinsen until they thought he was getting somewhere. Sometimes they would confine him so that he couldn’t move until he swore to give them something._

_He did. Not much, just enough to convince them he was worth keeping alive._

_They had gotten mad at him once, Tony was worried it was because they had found out about the suit prototype. But in truth they had just wanted to ensure he remembered who was in control._

_Tony could still remember the heat of the box in the sun._

_He looked through the slit and saw Yinsen, down on his knees, about to be shot._

_Why was Yinsen wearing green and black leather?_

_Suddenly the bottom opened up under him, and there was a world of stars and nothingness. And it wasn’t hot. It was freezing._

Tony jerked up out of bed, gasping for air, his heart beat racing. He was freezing cold, and yet his muscles were slickened with sweat. A hand touched his shoulder and he snapped up like he was being attacked.

A strawberry blond head halted him.

“Tony.” Pepper Potts looked at him softly, but with knowing eyes. “Okay.” She said when he didn’t respond. “Okay.” She reached for him very gently. They had moved all alcohol out of the house after New York so he wouldn’t be tempted. “JARVIS can you run sooth program # 10?” she asked.

_Right away Miss Potts._

The lighting of the room became a calming purple red, the sound of a muffled heartbeat filling the room. It became womblike and settling and Tony lay back against the pillows while Pepper grabbed some washcloths and a bowl of cold water. “Was it the void again?” she asked patiently.

He didn’t want to talk about it. He never actually _wanted_ to talk about it. But Pepper wanted him to share it with her.

His wants and her wants were sometimes at a horrible parallel.

“It was Afganistan.” He said shortly. “I was back in the cave. I uh…I was thinking about Yinsen.” He admitted.

Pepper nodded. “Okay.” It was an old theme, but one he’d not had in a long time. Back then, Pepper had still been his assistant and he couldn’t exactly spill his troubles to the one woman who…

…who still saw hope in him.

“They shoved me in the hot box and then it opened up and became the void.” Tony finished off.

Pepper finished cleaning up the sweat. “Is there something that happened recently? Something that would have triggered this particular dream to rise up again?”

He looked at her, then away, then back.

“Tony.” She gave him a warning tone.

“You know S.H.I.E.L.D has me working on that project? The whole palladium shield thing that you of course know nothing about.” She nodded and Tony smiled a little. “I was…maybe looking around in places I shouldn’t have been in their systems. They have Loki in custody.”

“Well that should be a good thing right?” She pulled her hair back and looked at him in confusion.

“You’re right. It should. It should be a great thing. But…there are problems clamoring around in my head.” Tony admitted. “Why is he here? Why does S.H.I.E.L.D have him? Why keep him at all and not just put a bullet in his head?”

“Assuming a bullet would work on an alien god.”

“Fair enough.” Tony agreed. “But…okay it…shouldn’t have bothered me. He probably deserves it.” Tony stood and started pacing, crossing his hands under his armpits. “Their using some kind of heat interrogation. I don’t know what they want out of him. Not sure I want to know, honestly. But this…what they’re doing to him.” He gestured, feeling an almost acid reflux sensation in his chest. “This is torture, Pepper.”

She gave him a sympathetic look. “You’re right. Torture shouldn’t be something that happens to anyone.” Was she agreeing to comfort him or because it was actually something she believed in? Tony didn’t know, but he knew he couldn’t question the person who was giving him stability and comfort. “But the question is, what can you do about it?”

***

“Please tell me you are joking.” Director Fury said over the video feed.

Tony swallowed, but was undeterred by the penetrating stare. “I’m not asking for you to give him the keys to the penthouse. Hell I’m not even asking for you to upgrade his bathroom privileges.” He clicked the feed of Loki in the prison cell so that anyone viewing this conversation could see it. The trickster looked just as terrible as had five days ago. If possible even worse. He seemed…withered. Like a husk. His eyes had almost no consciousness to them anymore.

If anyone in S.H.I.E.L.D hadn’t known, they sure as hell knew now. Tony could even see Bruce shift uncomfortably at the scene.

“All I’m asking is for this to stop.” He pointed out.

Fury intertwined his fingers stiffly and curled his lip as he often did when dealing with the infuriating engineer. “Stark, ignoring the fact that the only way you could access this feed would be to hack into our highest level of security, we have in custody a highly dangerous and excessively guilty war criminal responsible for the deaths of almost one thousand people. What we choose to do with him in order to maintain the protection of our world is not your concern.”

“You’re right. It’s not. And you know what if you want to hold him down in those cells for the next ten thousand years like he’s a genie in the cave of wonders you go for it. But this torture thing. This stops.”

“You don’t have the authority to direct me.”

“No but I can shut it down myself if I have to.” To prove it he pulled up a new screen and started clicking buttons on it randomly. The rest of the agents behind Fury stopped what they were doing and looked around in confusion as lights, air conditioning, ice makers, and accessory equipment began blinking off and on. He could pull up the security grid, or the mainframe and play with that in a heart beat. But if he did that he’d be putting people at risk. Better for S.H.I.E.L.D to do this on their own.

Fury looked like he would have strangled Tony if he could get ahold of him. “Do that again and I will put your computer BFF in the corner.” He threatened.

“You do that and you lose the only chance of getting your shield for S.H.I.E.L.D.” Tony retorted. This reminded him of being in the board room, which he always hated. Negotiations gave him headaches. Sure he could do them, but it annoyed him when people didn’t just get that he was right. “Look, this is…upfront and simple. I don’t like torture. Not even on him. You end the torture and…” he grimaced. “I’ll tell JARVIS your mainframe is a bad influence on him. No more downloading your secret files.”

_I will try to cope with the heartbreak sir._

Fury tsked through his teeth. “I will…consider your request. In the mean time get the hell back to work.” He said it in such a way that everyone who had been watching the conversation suddenly seemed to remember they had jobs to do and snapped back to them. “We will continue this conversation later.” Fury had someone click the disconnect and Stark’s screen returned to his own desktop.

“That…went well.” Bruce said comfortingly. Tony gave him a look and his fellow scientist shrugged.

***

_Two weeks later…_

An incessant beeping noise echoed at him from somewhere on the screen. Tony’s head lolled forward. He had been somewhere between dozing and actually sleep. He looked at the clock and realized groggily it was 3 a.m. He reached for an alarm clock, his mouth tasting distinctly _brown._ Took him a full minuet to realize it was an incoming video call and not an alarm. “JARVIS.” He said hazily, shaking his hands through his short hair.

_S.H.I.E.L.D on the line for you from Director Fury’s office._

“Patch him through.” Tony said irritably. He’d been working on the palladium shield off and on without too much motivation since their discussion involving Loki.

He was surprised to see, not Fury, but instead a cell, with a tall, lean figure pacing back and forth in it. There were no heat lamps, and the temperature read a cool 72 degrees. “JARVIS?”

_Genetic signature confirmed. Feed authenticated._ The AI answered precisely.

The knot in Tony’s stomach undid itself and he felt a little more comfortable. “Alright buddy. Time to keep our part of the bargain. Pull your naughty decryptions out of S.H.I.E.L.D and behave yourself from now on.” He chided and started to debate crawling into bed. “But uh…leave the feed of Loki’s cell. Just to make sure Fury doesn’t try switching him back on us.” He started gathering himself up, preparing a retreat for the night when something caught his eye.

Tony looked back. He enhanced the screen, than did a close up on the figure. “JARVIS?”

_Yes sir?_

He tilted his head like a confused puppy. “Is he…blue?”

***

Loki breathed deep and exhaled. It had been a few days since their petty excuse for torture had ended without explanation. They had left him alone since dropping the temperature, and his body was still healing from heat exhaustion. He felt scraped and raw, but thus far, no new tortures appeared to come to mind. Was this a reprieve, or merely a lull? He felt unstable not knowing for sure and it set his teeth on edge. At least with the heat lamps he had been actively resisting something. Now he was just in stasis.

Waiting for something to break.

Six months ago, Thor had dumped him in the frigid Arctic like so much offal, leaving him virtually powerless. He had his jotun magic, but it was weak in this meager world of Midgard. Earth lacked the aether it took to keep himself fully open to his own abilities. It had been all he could accomplish to use his frost giant abilities to not freeze to death.

Four months ago, S.H.I.E.L.D had found him on the outskirts of a town. He wished he could say he’d put up more of a fight. But in all truth, there had been very little of it left in him by that point. Immortal he might be, but hunger, thirst and exhaustion could take their toll on even his kind. Loki had resisted as much as possible, but in the end he had been subdued with almost effortless ease. Of course he did not expect gentle treatment, but for the most part they left him alone. He spent a few weeks in their Anchorage facilities before being physically subdued, drugged to the point of being near comatose, and then encapsulated for transport.

He was not entirely sure which facility he might be in at the moment. They did not speak to him, the ones who came in and out. He knew he was being held under the highest security risk. He knew he was being constantly watched. He was fed once every three days. He had no bathroom privileges beyond a metal bucket and a set of wet naps which were removed daily.

It gave him brief amusement to think that someone here had the delegated task of removing it.

The heat lamps had been truly debilitating. He had never been bothered by the heat before. Perhaps it had been entirely the All-Father’s doing, the thick magic of the Asgardian aether protecting his body, sheltering him from harm. But his jotun body was apparently very susceptible to it. He had begun experiencing dizziness and exhaustion within a few days. He had become so nauseous he couldn’t keep down food and, when the god had blacked out for the first time, they began treating him daily with a cooling serum. His body would stabilize for a few hours, and then it would begin all over again.

They asked him questions from behind a darkened glass wall with shadows.

And he had enjoyed toying with them

_“So secretive. Why? Last time you showed no such compunctions on showing me your faces. Do you fear my vengeance if I should break free now?”_

**_We are not interested in your threats, Mr. Laufeyson. We have questions about your activities with the chitauri invaders. Answer these and your stay here can be made more accommodating._** The voice was entirely unfamiliar after being passed through filters till it drones and warped in the echoing cell.

_“Accommodating. How gracious. I don’t suppose a bed and a bath might be arranged. Maybe a garden view terrace?_

**_Glad to know you find humor in your current situation._** The voice was unidentifiable, but the heavy sarcasm and veiled threats told him a great deal.

_“Oh come now Director Fury, you can do better then that.”_ He smiled, practically feeling the tension heighten from the next room. _“After all, we both know you need me. I’m the only source of information you have regarding the invasion. So while your petty torments may be annoying…”_ He had looked up at the heat lamp causing the skin of his face to blister. Loki smiled, pretending to ignore how the tightening pull of his lips burned. _“They are hardly sufficient to extract information from me.”_

**_Thank you for that information._** The voice carried on, betraying nothing. **_Let’s just see if we can find something more capable._**

It had gotten significantly less fun after that.

At least he had been correct in his assumption. If they’d another source of information, they would have used it by now. If he was alive, it was because he was useful. He wondered if S.H.I.E.L.D had realized that this only made him more resistance to hold onto what he knew.

Still, eventually they would get tired of this.

How much could he reveal without losing the game?

And then they had let the room go cool.

Loki had never counted himself amongst the foolish. After the first few times of roughly being slammed to the ground to have his sedatives administered, he had stopped active resistance, opting instead for a cool, frightening look at those who would handle him so hatefully. But beyond sedation and cooling, they did not open the sliding metal door that kept him secured.

So he was somewhat surprised to see eight guards come into his cell, armed to the teeth and fully in riot gear. They had their poles out to attach to the collar he now wore and clicked the ends quickly into the slot.

“Hands out, no sudden movements.” One of the unidentifiable men said in a dull, efficient voice.

He rose slowly, lending out his arms for another two to come forward and clasp on the restrains against him. Loki was wearing the same clothing he had been dressed in when he’d left Asgard. Nothing more than a thin shirt protected him from the metal encasements. He pretended not to notice how carefully they regarded his skin, not willing to touch it even a little. That little trick hard worn thin after he’d frozen one of the guards arm till it shattered.

“Well then, where are we headed now?” He asked in the most conversational tone.

“Please remain silent.”

Loki chuffed, pursing his lips with mock contrition. “Oh come now. After we’ve all become such good friends.” He smiled, showing all his teeth as his lips pulled back with almost feral air. “Surely you can give me a hint.”

They did not find this amusing. Two more poles slid into his collar and the four guards instructed him to rise slowly as the marched him out the door. Two in front made the way clear while two in back of him guarded the rear as they moved with a brisk pace through the halls.

Loki had somewhat lost track of time, so he wasn’t entirely sure if it was day or night. But the halls of S.H.I.E.L.D seemed abnormally empty. Then again he wasn’t entirely sure where he was. Perhaps this was a lesser known facility. Or one that did not require being heavily manned. He was a little astonished at their lack of protocol. If he had been transporting someone like himself, he would have insisted on a blindfold and sound dampeners. As it was, Loki was holding his eyes downcast, so as to look defeated.

But he was taking in every little detail and pathway as they marched through the halls. Every sign they passed, he committed to memory, trying to discern a layout for the compound.

They moved him into an elevator and pressed the lowest floor level.

With every floor they descended, Loki had a sudden feeling of his stomach sinking within his body. A familiar pressure was building, and he sucked in a deep breath, trying to place it.

_A power source?_ He fumbled about in his mind. Yes, it was something like that. Not aether, but the next best thing. Why couldn’t he place it…

Loki’s eyes widened and he jerked his head up to the nearest agent. With a sudden movement he surged forward, cracking their visor with the horns atop his head and ramming the woman back into the elevator wall before anyone could move. The others moved to subdue him quickly and he permitted it. His focus wasn’t on them.

She groaned and shook her head, tearing off her helmet and sinking forward in a state of confusion. Her eyes, which had been blue a mere moment ago, now turned brown. She blinked several times in a dizzy manner. “What? Where am I?” she looked about at her fellow guards. “What the hell? What is he doing out? We haven’t received instructions to move him!” her voice changed to a commanding bark just as the elevator dinged.

The doors slid open and the chitauri standing there wasted no time in ending the woman’s mortal life.

Loki reared back and raised his arms in defense, pulling away from the mind controlled agents now dragging him out. The room was a part of the underbelly of the building. Nothing but metal overhanging and systems to keep the massive amount of technology S.H.I.E.L.D boasted running smoothly. There were only four chitauri here, but that was more than enough. The elevator doors closed and Loki grunted and pulled, trying to avoid being brought to the end of the stairs.

“Ahh, Laufeyson. So good to see you once again.”

The voice was a static growl and Loki was at least a little relieved to see a holographic projector, rather than The Other himself awaited him “And here I thought you’d forgotten about me.” He tried with a charming smile.

It was returned with cold calculation. “Of course not. How could we forget the one who failed us?” The mouth moved at him from behind the dark cowl and golden masking. “Though your appearance is somewhat…different as of late, we know it to be you. Did we not warn you that you could not hide from our sight?” he hissed out the last few words with venom.

Loki coughed lightly, trying to think of a way to escape. Ironically, his best hope was that the rest of the agents had noticed him being transported and realized it was unscheduled. “I haven’t exactly been hiding, in case you hadn’t noticed. Or do these accommodations seem particularly fit for my standards?”

“It makes little difference, Loki Laufeyson.” The Other proclaimed. “You failed us. And as such are deserving of our punishment.” He nodded and the chitauri took up the reigns, gripping him by the head and horns and dragging him forward. The S.H.I.E.L.D agents assisted quickly, helping to drag him up and pin him down on a metal air conditioning unit, the fan blades rotating behind the protective grate just under him. The hologram of The Other flickered and snipped. Obviously, without the Tesseract present here, their connection was poor.

But Loki was willing to bet he knew how they had slipped a few of their king into Midgard.

He should have told them less about his little trick passageways.

They held him down, ignoring his struggles as though they were nothing. His jotun frigidity flared up with great force, but the chitauri were entirely unaffected. The humans balked, and then pressed the buttons on the end of their poles, rending him into a rigid pole with a painful electrical charge. One of the chitauri took charge of his head and grappled with his spitting curses, hissing at him until they could fully subdue him.

The Other seemed to find this amusing. At least the rasping sounds from his throat would indicate so.

“If you wish my death then by all means…” he snapped defiantly.

“I think not, good Silvertongue.” The Other gestured and another of the alien things took out a strange, unpleasant looking device. “I believe we promised you something greater than pain, should you fail us. And perhaps it would do your lying tongue some good to remain still…for a while.”

They grasped his cheeks, forcing his lips into the position they wanted.

“But make no mistake, this visit in only the beginning.” The other promised with a callous grin. “We are not don with you yet, Loki the Deceiver.”

***

Tony looked across the table at her. The ambient lighting glistened off her ginger hair, her purple Vera Wang evening gown complimented her natural blush and accentuated her freckles. He smiled, lifting a glass of very good scotch. “Having fun?” he asked.

“If by fun you mean finally getting a night with you all to myself then…” Pepper smiled, reaching across the table to lay her fingers against Tony’s. “Yes, I am defiantly having fun.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” He offered, a huge degree of relief coming off his chest. He had something in his pocket he’d been fumbling around with for the last few hours. A small box that he kept clicking open and closed, hoping the din of the restaurant was covering it. Tony leaned back, trying to look nonchalant. “Cause ah…well there is something I’d kinda like to talk to you about.”

AC/DC’s Highway to Hell suddenly cut through the classical styling’s of Chopin, disturbing the peace of the room.

“Don’t you dare.” Pepper said strictly, not even looking up from her own glass of red wine.

Tony didn’t hesitate. He picked up the phone and tossed it into the fountain, grinning in that wonderfully goofy yet substantially charming manner he had. Pepper laughed out, ignoring the looks they were getting from the more cultured of NYC elite. “You want another glass? I mean I bought the bottle so…” He reached forward to take hold of it by the neck.

Pepper’s phone, which was on vibrate because she was a scotch more socially aware then he was, started buzzing in her purse. “Here, let me just.” She picked it up sighed. “It’s Fury. Do you want me to Hey Tony!”

Another wet plop sounded as Pepper’s phone joined his in the fountain alone with a couple hundred dollars in coins.

Tony smiled again, twiddling his thumbs together. “So uhm…”

“Tony that was my phone!” Pepper said in her hushed annoyed voice.

“I’ll buy you a new phone. Heck I’ll buy you Verizon.”

“I have ATT&T.” Pepper responded smoothly.

Tony made his grossed out face. “Geez are you richer than I am. Just kidding. We both know you’re not But you could be. I mean you know if I hadn’t distracted you for so many years.” He started fiddling with the napkin on the table.

“I’d own my own company.” She nodded smugly. “I would outbid all your contracts.”

Tony smiled. “Oh you would?”

“Defiantly.”

“Well that’s pretty interesting cause uh…” He slipped the box out from his pocket, holding it precariously under the table. “I sort of have a contract to propose to you. Some terms and conditions might apply. But you know those can be uh….dealt with later.”

There were four people dining at the table directly behind them. All of their phones went off in perfect harmony.

Pepper closed her eyes and sighed as the table on their left did the same thing within seconds.

Tony grit his teeth and tried to talk louder. “So I was thinking maybe we could…” The next six tables began to ring loudly in a variety of tones and music. Tony tried again, but Pepper just gave him a look of confusion, entirely unable to hear him. He mouthed out something his mother would have washed his mouth out with soap for saying and grabbed the nearest phone. “What!”

In the same instant all the other phones went silent.

“Mr. Stark we have an emergency here.” It was Fury’s voice, even toned as ever but there was defiantly an edge of stress to it.

“You have a hundred thousand super spies and you can’t handle and emergency yourself I am busy here.” Tony elongated the last few words, smiling at Pepper to be indulgent just a few seconds longer. She gave a long suffering look and downed the rest of her glass, pouring another quickly.

“Well seeing as how you’re the new social justice attaché for Mr. Laufeyson I thought you might want to be informed that he’s been attacked.”

Tony paused, a few thoughts rolling around in his head. “One of your agents got a vendetta against him?”

“More than one, but it wasn’t one of us.” Fury responded.

“Spill it. What’s going on in the House of S.H.I.E.L.D?”

Fury paused. “We had a chitauri attack.”

Pepper sat there, picking at her very expensive foie gras, waiting for him to get off the phone. It wasn’t that she blamed him. After all it wasn’t like you could ignore it when S.H.I.E.L.D called you. Or dropped by unannounced. Or recruited you for a plan to stop an alien invasion.

Someday, Pepper was more than happy to sit back and count the blessings of being a normal human being.

“Wait…what?” Tony sat forward. “Okay but why do I need to be the one who… Well yeah I got the tools. I mean I’ve got something that should work.”

She could hear her evening slipping away.

Tony scrunched up his face and slapped his hand down on the table. “Okay. Okay fine. Okay fine just…yeah I see the car. I’ll be out in a minuet.” He hung up the phone and handed it back to the guy behind him. “Pepper look...” She smiled and waved him off. “I’m sorry about this. I mean it.” Tony stood up, slipping the little box casually back into his pocket. “I swear I’m going to make this up to you!” he promised as he started walking away.

“In one month or two?” she called out after him.

“Next week! Saturday! Promise!” Tony added, glaring at the people who had figured out he was the source of the disturbance. “You all know it’s tacky to leave your cells on a dinner right?”


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At his core, Loki is a class A manipulator. He just can't help but tug on peoples strings and see what he can provoke them to do.
> 
> And someone with a past like Tony Stark has so very many strings to pull.

Tony blinked several times as he took in the scene. “Why haven’t you knocked him out?” he asked suspiciously.

“We’re not sure if we can. Asgard physiology is still a mystery to us.” Fury admitted. “When we got to him, he’d already lost a lot of blood, and they beat him up pretty bad.” The director sounded concerned. Not for Loki’s welfare, obviously. More likely for the extensive security breach, lacking response time, and potential loss of valued source of information.

“Yeah I can kinda see that.” Tony crossed his arms, moving into his defensive stance. “Look uhm…are we entirely sure he didn’t do this to himself?”

Fury arched an eyebrow at him. “Do you really want to see the security feed?”

“No. Thank you. Just ate.” He groaned and washed his hands. “Okay I’m going to need a hand in there. Surgery isn’t really my forte.”

“He doesn’t need surgery. Just get those damn wires the hell out of his mouth.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Ever the humanitarian.” He got the gloves on and walked into the cell room, the door sliding shut behind him.

Loki was a pathetic sight. He lay still as a corpse on the medical bed, arms and legs shackled down, face turned away till he heard the click of them both being locked in together. His red eyes flared with recognition and his lifted his head a little, looking Tony up and down. There was a sort of sick grin behind the thin wires that were no imbedded into his lips. He looked like he might have laughed if it wouldn’t have been painful to do so.

“Hey there Dasher.” Tony couldn’t help it. It was an automatic defense system with him. “I take it they don’t have dentists on Asgard huh?” he reached for the sewn shut jaws and Loki recoiled, flashing anger at him. “Look I’ve seen some pretty extreme body mods but this is going a bit far. You want this stuff out or not?” He could have sworn he heard a growl but Loki relaxed a little. At least until somebody brought the medical saw in. His arms strained against the metal and Tony saw an instant of fear in his eyes. “Hey hey! Whoa there!” He put a hand on the blush flesh and jerked it back instantly, the cold almost searing through his gloves. “Hey! Calm the hell down!” he shot back, Loki looking up at him.

Tony lifted the saw. “Look, we can’t sedate you because you’ve lost a lot of blood. And we can’t get these things untwisted without cutting them.” He had looked at the x-rays where the chitauri had melted the ends together, ensuring that the remove would be disagreeable. “Which means you’re going to have to prove what a big bad god you are and stay put.”

Loki’s demonic eyes moved from Tony’s face to the sharp blade of the saw.

The human rolled his eyes. “Look don’t get me wrong, when you’re all healed up I’d like to punch you right in the jaw. But at the particular moment in time, all I want is for you to stay still.” He moved closer. “Now whatever they used on you, this wire isn’t any kind of earth metal, but thankfully I’ve got some serious business connections.” Tony explained, trying to keep his voice calm enough to talk Loki through the process. “The blade is adamantium, so it’ll be quick. Just bare with me.”

The sickening sound of the whirling blades echoed in the room, and it became almost unbearable when metal scraped against metal and began to cut.

If Tony saw the tear that pulled from his eyes, he didn’t say a single damn thing.

Three hours and two dozen bits of twisted wire later, Loki was finally able to pass his tongue between his lips dryly. His body, held so hard and rigid for all this time, finally seemed to relax and he let out a ragged sigh. “That was distinctly irritable.” His voice was much like Tony remembered. Affluent, controlled. Tony tried to ignore it as he started putting up the blade, careful to wash and pocket the adamantium. No point in leaving behind any of his toys for Fury to play with. He couldn’t resist grabbing ahold of some of the wire in the same hand, pocketing it with all the skill of a street magician.

_No way I’m going home without a souvenir._

“It was you, wasn’t it?”

Tony turned, the question mildly curious.

“You’re the one who convinced them to turn off the lamps.”

 _Stay cool. Reveal nothing._ “What makes you think it was me?”

Loki grinned, his lips pulling at the holes till they began to bleed sluggish black fluid. “Why else would you know what I was talking about?” He laughed when Tony’s eyes widened. “You fall a bit short of expectations, Anthony Stark. Directory Fury is the type of man fully prepared to drop an innocent human with a ‘growth problem’ from a helicarrier. He wouldn’t have ordered the lamps off without sufficient reason. So my question now becomes, what did you do to convince him to give me a small reprieve? And, more importantly, why?”

Tony blinked several times. “You know for a guy who just had his lips sewn shut, you’re awful damn talkative.”

The former god turned his head in the mortals direction, his horns scraping hard the table. He noted the direction of Tony’s eyes and his mocking demeanor turned sour. “Do you appreciate people staring at the giant glowing knob in your chest?”

The engineer balked and looked down, realizing the glow of the ARC was shining through his scrubs. He gave Loki a return smirk. “Oh I love it. Let’s people know who I am.”

The door slid open and Fury stepped through. “I think conversation time is over.” He instructed, a group of agents coming in behind him, one of which was wearing dark navy scrubs similar to Tony’s. “Ensure that Mr. Laufeyson is in good medical condition. Tony, I think you have someone waiting for you back at the tower.”

“Not likely. She’s probably already gone to bed.” He admitted and tossed down the towel he’d been washing his hands with. “See ya later there Smurfette.” He called back to Loki, not bothering to turn around.

“Oh I’m sure of it.” There was something in the tone of Loki’s voice that made Tony distinctly uncomfortable, but it didn’t really hit until that undiminished accent said “Anthony.”

Tony waited till both he and Fury were on the other side of the door before speaking. “Don’t suppose you’d like to elaborate on exactly how two chitauri got to Earth without a Tesseract to guide them?”

“Afraid I can’t help you there.”

“Can’t or won’t.”

“Can’t.” Fury said with determination. “I’d lay even money on ice cube back there knowing something about it, but he’s been closed lipped up till now.”

“Really? He seems like the kid that likes to talk.”

“He’s said more to you in the last ten minuets then he’s said to me in six months.” The director rubbed his chin. “And some of it was very interesting.”

“What? Like how he knew about the lamps? How did he know?”

“None of my people talk to him. They know better. But this chitauri kidnapping has me worried. What if they’d managed to get him out of S.H.I.E.L.D?”

Tony considered it for a few moments before commenting. “Why didn’t they?” He turned back, looking through the window at Loki who was looking rather resentfully at the doctor checking him over. “Why did they just leave him here? I mean, why come across the galaxy just to hunt him down and then leave him in your custody?”

“Because Loki can’t leave the facility.” He pointed at the collar around Loki’s neck. “That ain’t jewelry you’re looking at. It’s tracker ring. He leaves his cell without the control rods that lock into it, he gets a jolt. He tries to leave the facility unescorted, and we find out if Asgardians can spontaneously combust.”

Tony made a face.

“Don’t give me that shit.” Fury told him right off. “All he has to do is sit tight and nothing bad happens.”

“Except heat torture.”

“Which is far less then what he deserves and we both know it.” Fury reminded him. “Look, you came in when we needed you so thanks. Hope we didn’t interrupt anything special.”

Tony felt the small box in his jeans pocket. “No. Nothing special.” He looked over at the cell again. “So, what are you going to do with him now?”

“Move him, soon as we get another facility ready. I don’t know what the chitauri want him for, but I know I don’t want them to have him.”

“Not sure I want _us_ to have him.”

***

After they checked his injuries and ensured that he was not near death’s door, Loki was again left alone in his cell. Or at least alone as he ever was here. He did not doubt for an instant that they were still watching him through the cameras and the dark paneled window alone one wall. He sat back down on the floor and took a deep breath. They had tended the holes poked through his lips, but he had refused any sort of pain medication, lest it dull his wits. The human doctor had spoken to him, told him it would help.

Loki had given such a snarl that the man had jerked back and the rest of the agents had threatened him with the electric sticks.

But Loki didn’t want to be made to ignore the pain. Indeed it helped spur him on, giving him reasons to ponder and keeping his mind sharp.

And foremost in his mind was just how unsafe he was here.

S.H.I.E.L.D’s concern for him was not protective of course, but he had at least thought himself marginally safer on Midgard then he would have been in Asgard’s prisons where The Other had surely gone looking for him first. Even if they had tracked him to Earth, how had they discovered his precise location? He chewed his thumb nervously, thinking to himself in the dim glow of the florescent lighting. If he was no longer safe here, then there was little point in remaining. But still, it was not as though he could just walk out. Their collar made sure of that.

His mind twisted to the mortal.

He remembered Anthony Stark from the invasion. The disrespectful tone, the ease of his gait. He had been largely unimpressed with him. After all his first sight of Anthony Stark had been in the confines of the Iron Man suit. So he was surprised to see the mortal engineer so…diminished. He had expected a tall stride of a man, not this short, compact fellow who acted more like a jester then a warrior. Still, there was potential there. And it might prove more beneficial in the long run to have the Man of Iron guarding his back, if the other Avengers might be similarly persuaded.

Loki smiled to himself, drawing up to his feet and walking towards the dark paneled wall. “Oh Director Fury?” he called out in light tones. “I think I’m ready to have a conversation.”

***

“He wants to talk to me?”

“Apparently he’s grateful for your assistance and insists that he might be willing to give information if you ask nicely.” Fury explained as they walked down to the cell.

“And what are odds that he’s full of shit and this is a ploy?”

“Even money at the moment.” Fury gave a wry look. “Hell I’m betting against it but who knows. He did just have a scare. Maybe he thinks we’ll up his protection if he starts becoming something more than an unwanted houseguest.” The director hit the code panel for the door next to Loki’s cell. The furniture was Spartan. A control pad that monitored everything from Loki’s vitals to the atmosphere of the room. A few office chairs and a table with a coffee maker. There was a S.H.I.E.L.D agent sitting there, keeping an eye on everything who nodded absently at Fury as they entered. “And how is he doing today?”

“Nothing really. Just seems to be sitting there, waiting on us.”

Tony looked up at the two way glass. Loki was standing, hands behind his back, a smug look on his face as he paced back and forth slowly, wandering the perimeter of the room. His healing abilities were astounding. The holes in his mouth were already starting to disappear, turning into dark blue pits against his flesh. That whole blue thing was still unnerving him. Okay actually the blue wasn’t that bad. But those freaky red demon eyes. Those were putting him on edge.

The lights flared up and Tony realized Loki had stopped moving and was now staring directly at him. “Welcome back, Anthony Stark.” His chin lifted and he gave a condescending scowl at Fury and the agent. “I don’t believe I invited any other participants to this meeting.”

“We invited ourselves.” Fury answered, refusing to be cowed. “And seeing as how your recent issues with the chitauri cost us the lives of five of our people I’d say we have just as much of a right to be here as Mr. Stark.”

“I didn’t invite them here.” Loki paused. “Well…not this time at any rate. Don’t go blaming me for lax security and poorly trained agents. I would have thought after Barton you might have developed a protocol against mind control.” He shrugged. “Ah well. But to an organization as vast as yours, I’m sure a few less warriors mean nothing.”

Fury’s hands clenched and he managed a smile behind a clenched jaw. “Mr. Laufeyson…” he began strictly. “You indicted a sudden willingness to share information on the condition that Mr. Stark be the liaison. He’s agreed to this.”

“Excellent. Nice to know you’re just as hospitable as you were in the tower.”

“Hey if it helps I can get you a glass of scotch.” Tony offered with an affable enough smile. He was surprised to see it returned, the glint of sharpened canines behind his lips making the whole demonic appearance just a bit more inhuman.

Loki pulled back a bit. “Still, I believe I requested to speak to Anthony Stark _alone_. You understand surely, given how unreliable you’ve proven to be.” He raised a hand as though directing commoners to leave.

Tony laid a hand on Fury’s upper arm. “You won’t get anything out of him like this. Besides, don’t act like you won’t be observing me, observing him.” The taller man nodded and motioned for the agent to leave with him. He gave Tony a look as if to silently tell him to be careful. When he turned back around to the wall, Loki was right there, towering over him even without the elongated horns protruding from his brow.

“Hello, Clarice.” The god said and Tony’s eyes went wide. Loki gave a wide mouthed grin and his fingers touched the glass, causing a spot of frost to appear on it. “Forgive me. I was informed during my last visit that some might find that amusing.”

“Yeah, hilarious.” He grabbed a chair and swung it over, trying to ease into it and look untroubled by everything. “So…looks like you’re healing up nicely.”

“Yes, all things considered. I am indebted to you for your care of me.”

“Good. Then you won’t mind helping us out.”

Loki’s eyes glistened with mischief. “Not at all. But of course you don’t expect me to give out something for nothing now do you? Granted I may be at a large disadvantage here, but I would like to improve me conditions at least marginally.”

Tony shrugged. “What do you want? A bed? Some throw pillows? I’m sure we can make something happen.” Okay so Fury hadn’t _exactly_ given him permission to negotiate for accommodations. But hell Tony would go buy him a day bed if that’s what it took.

“I would like to be allowed to use the bathroom to start with.” Loki answered with practical consideration. “And a shower would go a long way to improving my mood.”

Tony wrinkled his nose at the thought, but nodded. “I’ll see what I can talk them into. But you’ve got to give me something to work with. Give me something to take back with them for bargaining power…”

“Oh? You think we’re bargaining right now?” He chuckled. “No, Stark. This is merely you helping put me in a talkative mood. Now if it’s information you really want, I might be persuaded to tell you what I know.”

“In exchange for what?”

Loki moved with fluid grace, turning on his heel like a dancer as he paced. “Information.”

“About S.H.I.E.L.D?”

“About you.”

Tony was taken aback. “Nothing that interesting about me, Smurfette.”

“Oh I beg to differ. You are a fascinating subject and I mean to learn more about you.” Loki gave a winning look at him.

“Flattery.” Tony didn’t even hesitate. It was in his nature to be a flirt. And there was no mistaking the fact that Loki was trying to flirt with him. Or at the very least make him complimented enough to put him at ease. He grinned back, showing his white, even teeth. “Well don’t you know the way to a guy’s ego.” He sat forward, much more relaxed. _So he wants to flirt. So what?_ “You wanna know more about me. I want to know more about you, and the chitauri, and a few other things. So can we trust one another enough to be honest?”

Loki tilted his head to one side. “You’re asking the god of lies to be truthful?”

“I’m asking you to be truthful. Let’s be straight here. You don’t look like much of a god right now...unless you count Hinduism.” Actually, yeah. Loki looked a bit like a combination of some of those Hindu deities. “But hey, just to prove I’m a nice guy, you can go first.”

“How kind.” Loki looked him over. He had to play this carefully. The man acted like a condescending ass, but Loki had a feeling he was much smarter then he pretended. “How old are you?”

Tony pouted out his lower lip. Not exactly the question he had expected. “Forty-two. How bout you?”

“One thousand, five hundred and eighty-seven.” Loki answered. “Give or take a few years. One tends to lose track.” He looked Tony up and down. “You’re well built for forty. In fairly good health too I’d wager.”

“Well being a hero you gotta keep in shape. You should see Cap and the others. Be fair though, you’re brother takes the cake. Not much you can do being compared to an Asgardian god.”

“He is not my brother.” Loki said in a more sullen tone then he’d meant to let out.

“Oh right right…the adopted thing.” Tony caught the grimace and let his instincts guide his next question. “Okay, not the adoption thing. So why is Thor no longer your brother? Can I safely assume it has something to do with the whole invasion of earth thing?”

Loki tsked. Still, he would find out soon enough, so it cost him nothing to tell. “I have been banished from the house of Odin and as such am no longer counted among his sons. On that note, kindly tell the director to stop referring to me as Laufeyson. It’s irksome.” Loki could see the question still burning in his eyes, so he continued. “If and when Thor eventually shows up here on Midgard to visit that wench of his, I’d advise not putting the two of us in the same room. He’ll likely either ignore me outright as is required for him to act around a banished one, or he may well try to kill me due to me…appearance.”

“Your appearance.” Tony nodded. “Okay. So why are you imitating the blue man group?” Loki scowled at him angrily and the human answered with a shrug. “Just curious. You don’t gotta answer…”

“I am jotun by birth.” He answered shortly.

“Jotun. Ah of course that explains everything.”

Loki rolled his eyes. “You have no idea what that is, do you?” The blank look while the human postured his ignorance made the former god give a noise of annoyance. “A frost giant. Your realm had them once, over two millennium ago.”

“And what is a frost giant?”

Loki opened his mouth to give a cutting come back and then paused. “A monster.” He answered shortly. “A creature of cold aether that lives for the sake of destruction and enslavement.”

Tony nodded. “So you get it from your dad’s side of the family.”

Loki seemed for a moment as though he might wish to snap Tony in half, but then he smiled. “You know, when I was first captured, I was somewhat lucid. I believe I heard your name floating around once or twice. They called you, the Merchant of Death.” He could tell he’d hit a sore spot as Tony stiffened in the chair. “Now that’s quite a moniker. How did you come by it?”

Tony shrugged. “I used to build weapons. Big ones. The kind people used to kill other people.”

“And now they call you Iron Man. What changed?”

Tony thought about how much he should reveal. “I did. I decided I didn’t want to be that guy anymore.”

“Oh now don’t be coy. No one simply turns over a new leaf so simplistically.” Loki was leaning forward now, sensing that he had struck something. “Come on now. What traumatic event occurred that could take you from a weapons smith to noble warrior?”

Again, a measured response. “I saw the real damage my work was doing. I didn’t want to be responsible for blood on my hands.”

“And does it wash away the blood already there? Or do you just wear gloves and tell yourself not to look at the stains?”

Tony pursed his lips and sucked them back in. “Yeah I think we’re done for the day.” He stood up, walking towards the door and looking up at the camera in the room. “I’m ready to go.” He said, staring up into the lenses.

“Oh don’t leave so soon, Stark. This was just starting to get interesting.” Loki insisted. You could almost hear the eager hiss in his voice.

“I didn’t come here to play games, Loki.” Tony said as the panel slid open. “So if you want to chat again, maybe you’d better think about providing me with something useful instead of trying to get into my head.”

Loki grinned as an agent came to escort him out. “Amateur mistake, Anthony Stark.” He whispered in the quiet of the cell. “I’m already in.”


	5. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the chitauri take their vengeance to the next level, Loki will need help to rescue the only thing in the Nine Realms that matters more to him than himself.
> 
> EDIT: (5/15) Okay i felt like the last chapter was missing something. So I added about 4 pg of needed stuff.

_How disappointing._ Loki thought to himself. It was difficult to judge time in here, so he used the rotation of his food to assume that it had been almost a week since Stark had come to visit him. He had only taunted the mortal a little. Perhaps he had given Stark too much credit. Loki stood, pacing back and forth in the cell, ignoring his blue reflection in the panels. If Stark wouldn’t play his game, he would need to find another…

Loki paused. Slowly, he turned his head towards the two way mirror. He tensed as the familiar surge of energy came forward and readied himself.

The backlighting of the office revealed an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, standing still as a rock and gazing up at him through deadened blue eyes.

“Aren’t you tired of this trick yet?” Loki growled, watching the vacant smile lapse onto the controlled mortals face.

“I have a message for you from The Other.” The agent spoke smoothly.

“And that would be?” The blue being said, pulling himself into a more suitable position. He did not entirely know the depth of control The Other could manifest over someone, but he needed to weigh that it was strong than what he could do with the scepter.

“Now that we have found your ways between the world, it is amazing just how far we can go.” The agent continued. “Midgard was child’s play. And with a little bit of navigation, other realms are now opening to us. Joutunhiem, Asgard… Niflheim.”

His green eyes widened.

The smile became cruel. “We have something of yours, Loki. One of the few things in all the nine realms you care for more than yourself.”

Loki slammed his fists against the mirror, frost emanating from his hands as the cracking sound of ice echoed in the chamber. “You filthy…!” Electricity sparked through the chamber and Loki grit his teeth against the pain used to remind him he was a prisoner. He collapsed, breathing hard as he pushed back his hair. “You have no idea her fury, her power.” He gave a wry laugh at their stupidity. “You won’t hold her so easily.”

“Won’t we? She is but a child compared to her siblings. And she does so miss her father.” The agent revealed a communicator not of Midgardian origin and an ethereal voice called out through it.

 _Where is my father? You said you would take me to him._ The voice was small, shy, but full of questions. Loki could not help his gasp as he realized the truth of it.

“What do you want from me?” he snarled. “I am trapped here by these mortal agents and the Tesseract is on Asgard. I can no more open a portal for you now then…”

“We are not concerned with the portal, for the moment.” The man confirmed. “You are culpable for your failure and we mean to continue your punishment on a more intimate level. You have two options: Come to us and accept your fate, or have your daughter take your punishment for you.”

“No. No!” Loki roared as the light faded from the agents eyes and he collapsed on the floor, entirely unconscious. “Damn it all!” he bit down on his knuckle, mind racing through the possibilities. How was he to escape S.H.I.E.L.D? Even if he could escape, his powers were severely crippled. There was limited time to rescue…

“Well, that was interesting.”

Loki paused, then grinned, a plan formulating. “This is the second time you’ve snuck up on me, Agent Romanoff.” He looked at the redheaded woman leaning against the shadows in the back of the room. “Really, I should give you a prize or something.”

Natasha ignored him, reaching down to check on the agent’s pulse and frowned when she confirmed it had gone. “Apparently your friends don’t like leaving behind loose ends.” She gazed up at Loki. “Care to explain what he was talking about?”

“My daughter.” Loki controlled his smile as the woman’s gaze became more open. “Apparently the chitauri, unable to access me here, are under the assumption that I will break free in order to rescue her.” He frowned. “Fools. If I were capable of this I would have done so already. But that matters little to them. Either I come for her, or she will be my replacement for their torturers.” He ran a finger over his lips, where the divots of flesh from his sewn mouth still lingered. If he was arousing her sympathy, it didn’t reflect in her face.

“So, what do you plan to do?”

“What _can_ I do?” Loki corrected. “I am trapped here.”

They stood facing one another silently, neither party wavering.

“No more stalling.” Romanoff said in a tone that threatened his life if he balked. “No more games and no more tricks. You tell us everything about the chitauri, Asgard, if we ask your shoe size, you talk.”

“What are you offering, Agent Romanoff?” Loki asked with skeptical hope.

Natasha paused for a moment, touching her ear as though listening intensely to something. “Yes sir.” She acknowledged, turning her back to Loki. He waited, trying not to betray his impatience by tapping or becoming overly emotional. After a few minuets, she looked back to him. “Let’s assume for the moment you have at least a minimal amount of affection for your offspring. S.H.I.E.L.D can help you rescue her, if you are finally willing to give us the information you’ve been holding out.”

Loki had to admire her stance. There was no reflection of doubt or failure within her. She was cold, resolved, precise. A flicker of attraction came through him, but it wouldn’t do to get distracted. “And what makes you think I could depend upon your agents.” He nodded at the dead man on the floor between them. “Thus far they have proven to have limited capabilities.”

“Then what do you want?” She asked, crossing her arms but still willing to negotiate.

Loki let a smile draw across his face. “Anthony Stark.”

***

“Sorry about this.”

“Hey don’t apologize to me. You’re the one who’s going to have to explain it to Pepper.” Tony looked over at Natasha, popping up the visor so he could see her outside of the computer screen. “What I don’t understand is why he needs to be here.” He jerked his thumb back at the jotun strapped into the helicopter harness.

“It was one of the conditions he demanded in exchange for help. I suppose I get that much. If he’s telling the truth and the chitauri have his daughter, I can understand him wanting to be in on the rescue mission.” Natasha said absently and smiled. “Besides, it isn’t as if he’s being given free reign. He still has the collar, modified so that I can trigger it if he gets out of hand.” She pointed to her wrist where a small bracelet with a button lay.

“And how am I to know what qualifies as ‘out of hand’?” It was the first thing he’d said since they started their flight, save for ‘Good evening Stark.’ When Tony had arrived.

“You’ll know when I shock you down onto your knees, Mr. Laufeyson .” Natasha reminded him sharply.

And to this Loki rolled his eyes with an exasperated sight. “You know, that is not my name. I met my birth father just long enough to kill him. And my adoptive father has blackened me from his house.”

“Well then what would you prefer?” Tony shouted over his shoulder, looking back just enough to see Loki run a tongue over his lips.

“I like the old names best.” He said with a grin. “Why not Silvertongue?”

“You’re kidding…right?” Tony looked at Natasha. “He’s kidding.” She shrugged in response. “Silvertongue?” he gave Loki a sidelong glance and big blue just smiled. “Okaaay. So how are we finding this kid of yours?”

Loki pointed at the communicator that had been dropped when the mind controlled agent fell. “They left this outside my cell. It has a homing beacon on it which I believe will lead us to their current base of operations.” He indicated the blinking blue dot leading them towards a mountain side in the distance.

“You’re saying they have a base here?” Tony and Natasha both looked up and jumped as they realized Loki, who a split second ago been fettered to the chair, was now standing beside the pilot seats, looking as placid and determined as ever. The two avengers gave one another a quick double take, and then back to Loki.

“It would make sense. Passing between worlds can be done, but it isn’t easy. And large numbers cannot manage it without weakening the integrity of the passage.” He noticed just how unsettled they were by his minor escape, but said nothing. After all, the straps had been easy to wriggle out of, but he still wore the collar. Oh but it did make him feel just a little more renewed to see the two jump! “The chitauri have probably been coming through in twos or three for a while, at least until they realize I was here. Now there is no telling how many might have set up camp.”

“Okay back up, we’re talking about barriers between worlds here?” Tony frowned. “I thought the Bifrost was the only way to transport back and forth. Thor confirmed it.”

‘The Bifrost is a feat of engineering, science and magic and the only one of its kind in all the nine realms. Something like that takes an exponential amount of power to run even for the brief time it takes to transport someone.” Loki explained with a flippant gesture at Stark. “Why do you think I required the Tesseract to open a portal for the chitauri army? “

“Are you saying there is more than one Tesseract?”

Loki shut his mouth when he realized Natasha had caught that implication. He narrowed his eyes at her. “Oh very clever. But, wrong. There is not more than one Tesseract.”

“But there is more than one source of power equal to opening gateways between worlds?” Natasha had a small smile at the corner of her mouth and Loki found himself hatefully admiring the woman.

“Yes. Every world has one, or at least used to.” He chose not to mention certain…confiscations by Asgard. “As long as an item of this magnitude exists within a realm, there will be gateways in existence, almost as if the powers call to one another. If the power source is removed, then the world becomes somewhat more cut off, accessible only via the Bifrost, or someone with the knowledge to ferret out the passageways that once held.” Loki seemed to remember his value to these mortals was based strictly upon him as an informant and pulled back his words.

“And you would be one of those ferrets?” Tony started in.

“Yes.” He said shortly, sneering at the mortal. “Although the chitauri home world is hardly part of the nine realms, so I have no clue how they might have…oh!” The Avengers present jerked around to see Loki’s jaw drop and a look of pure shock overcome his usually serene face. “Oh! Oh damn me for a fool!” he cursed and gave a low laugh of his own oversight. “Oh this is going to be far more complicated.”

“He’s being cryptic. I don’t like cryptic. Can I use the electric thingy?” Tony reached for Natasha’s bracelet and she slapped his hand away, keeping half an eye on the sky and the other half on Loki.

“Don’t you see? No, of course you don’t.” Loki answered himself and shook his head. “If these sources of connective power only exist within the nine realms, then the chitauri only have two ways of accessing the passages. One, they have their own source of power which they have managed to link to that of the nine realms, or…”

“Their already on another world.” Tony finished.

“You’re a quick study, Stark.” Loki said with an almost praising smile. “As long as someone else does all the work for you and leads you to the trough.”

“Can I please press the thingy now?”

“No time, we’re coming in close.” The dot was growing larger on the screen as they approached a huge mountain side. Natasha clicked the scrambler, making sure they came in under the radar as she made a landing. “Okay Mr. Silvertongue.” She said, giving him at least the grace of using his desired name. “Here is what’s going to happen…” she grabbed his arms and slapped a pair of manacles on them. There was a brief metallic hum and Tony snorted out a laughter as Loki’s wrists snapped up to his collar. Natasha wasted no time pushing him back and strapping him into a seat with efficient moves. “Now, you are going to stay right here while we go make sure this isn’t a trap. If your daughter is here, we’ll bring her back. If not…” she tapped the button on her wrist without clicking it. “I will turn this thing on and leave it on for the ride home. Understood?”

To his credit, Loki didn’t flinch. He gave a droll sound from the back of his throat and held up his hands in mock defeat. “I submit to your imprisonment. Have mercy!”

Natasha pulled away, grabbing a pack and headed for the drop hanger. “You coming Tony?” she called out as she walked down the stairs.

“Take care of yourself, Stark.” Loki called out gently, his face as unreadable as his tone.

“Yeah, you too.” He hopped down next to Natasha. “Hey am I being an egomaniac or is he flirting with me?”

“You are an ego maniac.” Natasha readied her gun, her second gun, and her boot knife. “And he might be. He’s kind of subtle.”

“Subtle like a truck.” Tony brought down the face plate. “So where are we headed?” Natasha handed him the communicator and Tony plugged in, letting JARVIS download the coordinates with better precision. “Looks like we’re headed up. You want a ride?”

“No thanks. It’s never good to be the distraction.”

“Distraction? What do you mean…?” Tony’s shields slammed up just as a blast cut across his left shoulder. “Aww Nat you are so I’m telling Barton!” He hit the launch on his jets and soared up past the tree tops. “JARVIS get me a feed find out where those shots are coming from.” He looked back down, but the Black Widow had already disappeared into the underbrush. “She at least coulda told me.” He scoffed and spun up, moving in a pattern to avoid the blasts in his direction.

_Sir? My readings indicate a contingent of chitauri scouts patrolling the area._

“Armed?” Tony pulled up in time to miss another shot by less than an inch as a second caught him in the back. “Aw crap.”

_It would seem so, Sir._

“Alright alright keep a beat on Natasha.”

_Miss Romanoff is making excellent time towards the signal source._

Tony turned on the blasters and fired off his primary palm beams, trusting his targeting system to help lead them. The squawking sound told him he’d nailed two. But the blasts didn’t stop. “How many?”

_Six left sir. Scans indicate they are attempting to inform their base of your arrival._

_Great, just what I need._ “Where are their communications?” The AI didn’t verbally respond, but switched Tony’s visor to infrared feed, showing him a where two of the chitauri in the underbrush were scrambling around with a short wave tower of some kind. “There we go target acquired.” He did a spin, which resulted in him getting caught on the shoulder, but managed to pull off a short range missile to the communicatory.

His own built in com crackled. “Tony you coming or not?”

“On my way.” He cut down, setting himself up and putting his armor into camouflage mode and reminding himself that red and gold armor was not in the least contusive to search and rescue missions. Tony picked a chitauri and fired off a few quick blasts, catching them off guard easily and taking them out. “Hey Nat, you run into any patrols?”

“One. Avoided them easily. Why?”

“Did you notice they don’t have on their armor like they did during the invasion?”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. “Interesting.” The fact that she actually sounded concerned made him worry. “Not our primary concern right now. I found it. Hone in on me and lose the followers.”

“On it.” Tony had JARVIS do a quick scan of the area and changed his flight pattern to avoid the next scout of chitauri scouts. He landed with Natasha about three minuets later. “Wow…that’s a big door.” He looked it over and quickly accessed the control panel, hooking JARVIS in. “Okay buddy, time for a little advanced B&E.”

“Tony!”

He snapped around as saw one of the crab aliens chattering angrily as it lifted it’s weapon. Tony lifted his arm at the same instant Natasha started to run forward.

And the creature jerked spastically as it’s blood spattered over the grass and dirt. A long knife protruded from it’s neck.

“Well…that was tedious.” Loki stood, switching the blade from hand to hand as Tony and Natasha stared at him warily. “What? Did you honestly believe I could be held by such crude constraints?” He held up he wrists, revealing them to be free of manacles. There was a sharp electrical pop in the air and Loki grit his teeth hard, hissing with a glare at Natasha.

“Just testing.” She assured him and clicked off the collar. “That was a minor charge. Don’t suppose there is any chance of getting you back on the ship?”

“Believe it or not, Agent Romanoff, I _do_ care for my daughter. I care deeply for all my children. And I won’t leave her rescue to a pair of mortals.” He snapped his fist to the side, freezing the control panel and watching as the circuits shorted out and fried, the doors sliding open. “Shall we?” Loki gestured to the cave.

“Well, you did open the door for us.” Tony tapped the ARC reactor, letting it give off a stronger blue glow as the headed in. “Anybody home?” he said jokingly, not raising his voice. Light flooded the cave entrance and the doors slammed shut behind them. There was the sound of rasping scuttles and from the shadows came chitauri, clattering their jaws together as they lifted their weapons and aimed them at the intruders. “Oh shit.”

“Move!” Loki hollered and the all spread out in different directions. His powers were severely hampered by the collar, not to mention the simple fact that he had never practiced with them regularly. But instinct and fury went a long way. All he needed to do was make contact and the ice grew from his finger tips, searing through the chitauri skin and cracking them like glass. His movements were a whirlwind of fluid grace and expertly crafted fighting style honed over a thousand years of training.

No magical reaping of the All-Father could take that from him.

Natasha was cleaving her own path with subtle precision. She was quick, but her style was no suited to subterfuge and surprise attacks. She was no slouch in hand to hand combat and was easily keeping pace, but when a chitauri grabbed her from behind and flung her against a wall, she took the hit hard to the shoulder and had to tuck and roll to move out of their grip before she got killed. She swung out under the chitauri’s legs and pulled the trigger, blasting a cap into the alien creatures exposed torso. As it fell, she grabbed for the weapon and hefted it with precision, turning it back to be used in her defense.

Natasha made a clear dent in the chitauri forces after that.

Tony was keeping his head high and doing as much radial damage as possible. As the only one here who could fly, he kept the encroaching chitauri off the other’s back, not to mention eyeing their tech. There was rigging set up along the cave walls and Tony could gather that a lot of what they had was half finished at best. That was good. It likely meant that they hadn’t been here long. And despite what things looked like there were only about thirty or so chitauri actually present in the cave. He wasn’t going to let his guard down, but this wasn’t out of control…

“Enough!” the roar echoed in a callous voice through out the hall. From a side tunnel, three chitauri stood, holding between them a small person wrapped in blankets and tied up. The Other was with them, hoverin in his holographic projector. Tony looked down at Natasha. She was surrounded, but not down for the count. The aliens seemed to be holding off as the voice demanded. Loki was in the same predicament, but his eyes were firmly fixed on the figure between the armed chitauri. They pulled back the hood and Tony gave a sharp intake of breath. “That’s his kid?”

Asgardian aging was a complete mystery to him, but Tony wouldn’t have pegged this girl at more than 8 or a really skinny 10. Her skin was the color of buttercream frosting, and her hair hung about her face in thick black curls. She looked about the room in a panic, her wide eyes blinking until she found what she was searching for.

“Father!” In her screech two things happened. One, the skin of her face pulled back like grotesque mask, revealing her right side as a corpse like expression with exposed teeth and sockets.

Two, Loki lost his shit.

“Hela!” He roared, his frost magic coiling round his with furious intentions. The chitauri surrounding him were flung off, their bodies splitting and cracking as they hit the cavern walls. Loki red eyes flared with unmatched hatred and he grabbed for the nearest creature.

“One more and your child will die!” The voice of The Other called out through the chaos.

Loki laughed manically at their stupidity. “You think it possible to kill a goddess of death?”

“She is as you are, Loki, deceiver. She may not be able to die. But we can cause her great pain.” As if on cue, one of the chitauri took hold of the child and pressed a circular device to her cheek. She screamed in agony and the smell of burnt flesh made Tony gag.

Loki lifted his hands, letting the chill of the ease back.

“And your compatriots as well.” The Other spoke in smug tones.

Tony and Natasha traded a look. “What’s our Plan B?”

“At the moment?” The redheaded assassin tossed her weapon on the ground, lifting her hands up.

“Great. Fantastic.” Tony let his engines slowly power down and landed close to Loki.

“Take them to the cages.” The Other instructed with a careless gesture at the humans. “But you, Deceiver, I do not think you shall object to taking your daughters place with our entertainer…shall you?”

The child called Hela squirmed in her captors gripped. “Father! Father you will come for me won’t you?” she pleaded, her eyes watering as she was drug away.

“I’ll come for you! I promise!” Loki yelled back, ignoring that he was now being put in chains. “Hela be safe! Don’t do anything foolish!”

“You always say that and then you go and do something foolish!” She finished, sounding almost exactly like her father for a moment before she kicked the chitauri holding her in the shins and wrenched her hands free of her binds. She grasped the alien tormentor with her hands and screeched as her eyes burned like stars. There was a terrible moment of pain for the alien as it writhed in her grip going pale grey, to white and then falling like a dead husk on the floor. She turned to the next captor, her face pulled into that sickened, twisted corpse.

“Is that Plan B?”

“Is now!”

Loki wound the chains around a chitauri neck and snapped it effortlessly. The Other barked orders from his hologram, but Loki was well fed up with the entire situation. He took one of the guns and set an energy blast at it, letting it explode as Hela glided effortlessly down to his side. “I told you not to do anything foolish!” he chastised.

“When I do it, it is foolishness. When you do it, it is somehow a plan?” Hela snapped back, bringing forth her power against any chitauri who dared get close.

“Do not speak to me like that!”

Tony chuckled. “Swear they sound like a father and daughter.” He blasted through two more and looked around for the Black Widow. “Natasha?”

“Radio silence, Stark. Working on something.”

 _Now where the hell did she go?_ He got his answer when the power keeping the technology in the cave running suddenly died off. The remaining chitauri collapsed where they were and everyone looked around, waiting for something else to spring forward.

When Agent Romanoff came running from a side tunnel, Tony looked at her. “Where were you…?”

“Run!” she said with just a touch more edge than he usual brisk commanding tone.

Tony looked at Loki who look at Hela. Then they ran.

They just barely made it out the doors before the sound of an explosion began bringing the cave down behind them. Loki grabbed hold of his daughter, scooping her up close to his chest and sprinted forward, coming even with Natasha as a maelstrom of dust, rock and spare tech parts spewed forth from the doorway and coated them all in a fine layer of dirt.

“Where the hell were you?” Tony snapped at his partner, tearing off his helmet so he could face her fully.

“Didn’t it occur to you, Tony, that if the chitauri were here, then they might be establishing a power source to create a new portal?” She asked, straightening her jacket and dusting herself off.

He blanched, the put out his lip in a pout. “Maybe.”

“I went to make sure that didn’t happen.” She assured the others and looked over at Loki. “Is she alright?”

Hela turned over her father’s shoulder to look at the humans. “I am well.” She spoke and then lifted to look at her father. “Where have you been? You haven’t been to see me in years! Grandmother Frigga said you wouldn’t be coming back…”

It was a little stunning for Tony to see Loki’s face become sheepish in front of his child. “I…seem to have gotten myself into trouble, my dear.”

Hela pursed her lips and looked at him with disappointment. “You promised! You promised to behave yourself.” She tsked angrily and crossed her arms in a childish pout.

“Hela, darling not in front of the mortals.” Loki sighed with a strict tone. “And how did you manage to be taken? I thought you safe in the realm of the dead.”

“The big man, the creepy voiced one. He said he had found you and could take me to you. I though he must be telling the truth because he knew the back way in to my realm. Only you and I know about that! It’s our secret.” Hela insisted with impunity, than did a double take. “Father, why have you gone all blue?”

Loki made a noise in his throat.

Tony made an uncomfortable sound. “Okay well this is just about as awkward as I’d like to get for the night. Is the kid going to be alright?”

Hela turned to face Stark and he had to admit he felt just a little queasy looking at the half corpse of her visage. He frowned to see the look of disgust and her human side looked expressively like her father as she scanned him head to toe. “Ten years, eight months, six days and ten hours.” She said in a flat tone.

The mortal engineer blinked. “What? Wait…what?”

Hela smiled coldly. “From palladium poisoning.”

“Did she just…did you just?” Tony’s nostrils flared. “Oh you little…!”

“Hela dear, that was not very polite.” Loki warned, though he was doing a poor job of masking his humor. “These are the two who helped me rescue you.”

The corpse child pursed her lips and nodded. “I am _occasionally_ off.” She amended, though her face seemed as cocksure as before. She turned back to her sire and hugged his neck tightly. “You can come with me, if grandfather Odin is mad at you again.”

Loki shook his head. “No dearest. I’m afraid I must remain here for the time being.” He gave Natasha a sidelong look. “My uh…friends here would be most disappointed if I attempted to leave.” It did not miss his notice that the ‘former’ assassin had her finger waiting on the button to bring him to his knees if he made one false move.

“Yeah, your daddy needs to come back with us right now, kiddo.” Tony said in a sarcastic voice like he’s love to backhand the girl.

Hel nodded, not looking at the humans. “As you will, father. I can find my way back easily enough.” She floated out of his arms. “Please promise you will come visit me from now on.” Her tone brooked no refusal as she snapped her fingers and the chains that had bound her father’s arms dissolved like sugar in tea. “Promise?” And Loki nodded.

“Always for you sweet little Hela.” And his voice was so full of affection Tony almost felt weirder out. She vanished from site in a spurt of green power and the three of them were left awkwardly alone. “You’ll have to forgive her.” Loki said absently. “Hela…was not always treated kindly on Asgard. I’m afraid she has a bit of my tendency for the dramatic.”

“A bit?” Tony responded, crossing his arms as he dismissed what the creepy dead kid had told him. Lighting hammers and rainbow bridges aside, he didn’t go in for this divine being crap. He was far more likely to kick the bucket from the hero stuff than palladium poisoning anyhow.

“Boys, we need to get going.” Natasha reminded them. “Mr. Silvertongue, is this were you make a daring escape attempt or are you intending to return quietly as per or deal?”

Loki gave a clear, high laugh. “You wound me, Agent Romanoff. After all I have a promise to fulfill and two debts to repay now don’t I?” he walked along side of them, heading back towards the ship.

“Debts?”

“Oh of course.” He spun gracefully on his heel, facing the two hero’s with a charming bow. “You assisted me in rescuing my dear child. I owe each of you for that t the very least. And as I am not terribly fond of being indebted to anyone…well there you have it. And despite my reputation as a god of lies, I _do_ keep my promises.” He paused a moment as they began to board the ship. “Though I would still appreciate something being done about my accommodations.”

***

Tony groaned as he touched down outside Stark Tower, JARVIS attending him to remove the suit. He listened absently to the work up as she walked in. It looked like he was going to spend most of the night in the workshop again. The flat was dark, just a few of the auxiliary lights so that he could see where he was going. It had taken ten hours to fly back with Loki and get him checked into S.H.I.E.L.D custody. He had been surprisingly cooperative, all things considered, and gone without a fuss. All though he’d left Anthony with a lingering smile and the parting words. “See you soon, Anthony.”

Tony shook his head. Had to give the guy credit. He was a charming little bastard. He picked up his smartphone from the desk and looked down at the glowing blue screen, deciding if he should start on the shield engine or…

Tony backpedaled and peeked around the corner, looking at the strawberry blond standing there with an ever patient smile on her face. “Saturday!” he yelled without thinking. _Shit. Shit shit shit shit._

“Sunday now.” Pepper said smoothly, picking up her purse and flinging it over her shoulder.

“It was Friday when we left.” Tony tried for an explanation. I’m sorry. How long did you wait at the restaurant?”

She shrugged. “A few hours maybe. Then I ordered a lovely meal which I proceeded not to eat. Got the most expensive bottle of wine, which…” she opened her purse and there it was, still corked. “And decided that fi I wanted you time I was going to have to insist on it.” She grabbed the phone from his hand and turned it off, wrapping her arms around his shoulders with a warm smile. “What do you say we go get a shower together?”

Tony grinned like a kid in a candy store. “That sounds like exactly what I want to do right now.” He let himself be drug closer to the soft press of her chest and smiled when he realized she’d already done him the courtesy of removing her bra so he could feel the hard tip of her nipples up against his chest. “Pepper…” he whispered and her lips pressed down on his. He brought his arms around her waist and they smiled against one another’s mouths, enjoying the moment of intimacy. Tony’s mind was pulled away from wires and components and into the smell of her hair.

“Oh dear. Have I interrupted something?”

Tony and Pepper turned at the exact same moment. But Pepper found her voice first. “Tony…”

“Yeah Pepp?” he said, changing his stance with his hands on his waist.

“Tony is that…?” Pepper reached her hand into the pockets of her purse where he knew she kept her Taser. He put a hand on her’s to stop her girlfriend from doing something that would likely get her killed.

“Uh…yes. Yes it is.” Tony put himself between the two of them. “Pepper, Loki. Loki, Pepper. Intros done? Great now why don’t we get you back to S.H.I.E.L.D? I’m sure they are just dying to know where you are. JARVIS!” Tony called out and the AI turned on the lights.

There he stood, looking like something that had walked out of an elegant nightmare, smiling at the two of them with smug grin on his aquiline face.

“Oh I doubt very much they even know I’m missing. Especially since Agent Romanoff was so kind as to switch places with me.” Loki reached out to the kitchen counter and laid his hand against Pepper’s with effortless grace. “Pepper is it? And what might your surname be?”

“Potts. Pepper Potts.” Tony had to give her credit. He had seen Pepper walk into a board meeting full of men who liked to imagine themselves the rules of the capitalist world and bring them to their knees with her savvy. So it shouldn’t have shocked him that she could keep her cool in front of a man who had tried to conquer Earth.

“Pepper Potts.” There was something about the way he said a name. Like he was tasting the syllables to find their flavor. He turned her hand over in his with a flourish and without them catching cold. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.” He kissed the back of her fingers with no trace of irony.

Tony wasn’t sure if it pissed him off that Loki could pull that off so well, or that Pepper was blustering over it. “Okay so. Care to tell me how you managed to pull off that trick while I have JARVIS dial S.H.I.E.L.D and inform them who they put back in that cell?” he pulled up his blue screen from the counter and opened up the visual feed from Loki’s cell at headquarters. Apparently, someone suspected something was off. He’d never seen so many agents present at one time in front of a bound and chained prisoner, even if it did look exactly like Loki in all his blue glory.

“I suppose I should let the joke die.” The god said absently and they watched as the illusion fell in a haze of green. Tony did have to bit his lip, just a little as the other S.H.I.E.L.D agents realized just who they had sitting in front of them. Romanoff snapped her head around to the camera and whatever she said, Tony knew two things for sure. One, it was probably in Russian. Two, whatever she was calling Loki would probably have singed the hairs right off his head. The cuffs came off in seconds and Tony watched her storm from the cell, S.H.I.E.L.D agents in tow.

Loki looked surprised by his irate tone. “Well...

“If you want to leave, now would be the time.” Tony offered, pointing to the window.

“Oh but why would I want to do that?” Loki held out his arms, gesturing around. “I much prefer your tower to an empty cell. And vastly over the frozen cold of the planet. I do believe better accommodations were a part of our deal.”

“Deal? What deal?” Pepper grabbed Tony’s shoulder, her eyes demanding an explanation.

“Yeah but not here.” Tony tried to explain, waving his girlfriend off a little with an apologetic look.

“Then where else?” He answered smartly. “Frankly, being shunted around by the ineffective S.H.I.E.L.D agents does nothing for my temperament or my willingness to divulge important information. And I’ve already proven just how useful that can be.” Loki smiled indulgently. “So why not here? After all, who better to keep an eye on the banished and disgraced prince of Asgard than one of the very men who defeated him?” He wandered aimlessly around the kitchen, looking about with equal amounts of curiosity and unimpressed superiority.

“Correction, what makes you think S.H.I.E.L.D is going to allow you to stay here?” Tony said, not in the least intimidated by the god who had thrown him out the window less than a year ago.

“Why not?”

“Uh, besides me not wanting you here?” Tony shrugged and pushed out his bottom lip. “What’s to guarantee you’ll stay put?”

Loki stopped, taking a deep breath and letting it loose with poignant emphasis. “Because I have nowhere else to go.” He said with a displaced smile. He tsked behind closed teeth and strode forward. “I have no kingdoms or realms to which I might fly. And though we may have destroyed one chitauri base, who is to say there are not more?” He stopped a few feet before Tony and Pepper, clasping his hands in front of himself almost like a supplicant child. “I do not much relish the idea of sitting in the middle of their headquarters, waiting to be caught.”

There was a moment of silence where Tony seemed to be absorbing what was being said. “What about your kid? Female Skelator?”

Loki shot him a nasty look but shook his head. “My daughter is queen of the dead. She has her own realm to rule and her own troubles to deal with. I would not risk involving her further in mine. Not to mention putting her at risk by my presence there.”

“Plus you haven’t told her what got you banished to earth in the first place.” Tony realized suddenly. “Can’t stand the thought of being diminished in her eyes huh?”

His voice was somber and sincere when he spoke next. “Is it a crime to protect the love of your child, Anthony Stark?”

 _Sir, Agent Romanoff has arrived. I have attempted to bar her from the suit but she is currently hacking my systems._ There was a brief pause before JARVIS continued. _I should likely note that she is severely displeased._

The door to Tony’s main suit slid open and Natasha came in, her red hair tussled and her face an architecture of stone and fury. Her eyes landed on Loki. “What happened to owing me a favor?” she asked in a deadly quiet tone.

Loki frowned as if entirely unconcerned. “You’re not dead.” He offered.

Natasha nodded calmly. Then took out her handgun and shot Loki three times in the chest

Pepper jumped and gave a short scream, covering her ears. Tony jerked and winced, glaring at the Russian agent like she’s tracked dirt into his house. “What the hell was that about?” He snarled as she put the gun back in it’s holster and looked over at the god.

Loki had gotten knocked back about two feet, landing on his back and coughing painfully, making a deep grunting noise in his throat. He sat up slowly, reaching for the spaces where he’d gotten hit. He gripped at the bullets and shoved them off, the flattened slugs clinking on the tile as he steadied himself. “That was not polite.” He said gruffly.

Natasha had just a hint of a smile on her face when she said. “You’re not dead.” Loki peered at her while he caught his breath, then acknowledged with a dip of his head. She calmly looked him over then lifted her braclet. “How’d you slip this?” she asked.

“Switched it while you were paying attention to Stark in the helicopter.” He gestured to Tony’s wristwatch. :Slipped it onto him until I had time to deactivate it.” Loki wrapped his fingers around the collar. “Having the damndest time getting this off though.”

“What so you’re a god of pickpockets now?” Tony argued irritably.

“As a matter of point, yes. Depending upon the area.” He stood with a hard wince and gripped his chest. “Nordic regions were so sparsely populated back then. You could never really tell what they were going to attribute to you until you got there.” Loki looked over at Natasha and then behind her. “Am I not being incarcerated again?”

“When we tracked the collar and realized you were here, Fury got curious. Wanted to know why you didn’t just up and leave.” The agent nodded to Tony. “Thought it might have something to do with him getting the heat turned down and you owing him a favor.”

“A bit of both actually.” Loki smiled in a very disarming way. “In all honest, I just don’t want to go back to a tiny little cell for the rest of my disturbingly long life.”

“And you think we’re just going to let you wander around like this?”

“That is it!” Pepper shouted, jerking everyone back to reality like there wasn’t a secret agent, a super hero and a banished blue demon god talking in their kitchenette. “That is it. I do not care what sort of insane comic book level stuff you all have to discuss. Whatever it is, it will wait till tomorrow!” She stepped forward, pointing to Loki. “You, pick a room. I don’t care what room just pick it and stay in it.” She drew herself up, taking a deep breath and settling into the role she was best at. Supervisor, organizer, and general minister of stop-complicating shit. “Tony, shower. Shower and bed and so help me you’d better find some energy somewhere.” She grabbed hold of the front of his tank top and drug him off towards their shared room without another word to the two people left in the room.

Loki’s eyes followed them. “I think I like Miss Potts.” He said off offhandedly, and Natasha agreed.


	6. Chapter Five

“You have got to be kidding me.” Tony crossed his arms, looking across the breakfast nook at Natasha. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

The agent sighed sympathetically, but didn’t waver. “Since your interference in this situation Loki has been more cooperative with us. He’s given valuable intelligence, and despite his ‘prank’ the other day, hasn’t attempted to escape.” Natasha took a sip of her tea and leaned back in a relaxed way. “Fury wants to see what he’ll do if we give him a little bit of line.”

“Yeah but in my tower?”

“You’re here, and so is Bruce.” She nodded in the direction of the fellow scientists rooms. “And from now on I’ll be a regular guest. Remember, Loki might be under your charge right now. But he’s missing a lot of what he had last time. No army. No scepter. Limited magical capabilities and diminished strength…”

“Are we talking about the same guy who took three bullets to the chest last night?” Tony asked incredulously.

“You didn’t see the bruises they left.” She seemed strangely proud of herself as she held up her hand into a circle. “Like black and purple softballs.”

“Uhhuh. And when exactly did you see the bruises?”

“Last night. I stayed in his room to keep an eye on him until we can recalibrate his collar to Stark Tower patrol, which is done by the way. He showed absolutely no compunctions about being naked in front of me. Guess Asgardian’s don’t do body shyness.” She added some lemon and sighed effortlessly. “He made no attempt to escape and insists he has no intention of attempting to do so…for now.”

“So I just got a new roommate. That it?” Tony gave her a hard glare and the ex assassin looked a little abashed. Tony groaned and wished he’d gotten some coffee before sitting down to talk. “Okay what?”

“We’re piggybacking on JARVIS again, just on the video feeds so we can keep an eye on him. But it also means we have the tower on watch 24/7. You’ve been put under top priority and there will be security agents from S.H.I.E.L.D here at all times. Also…” She reached over to Tony and handed him a wrist controller. “We juiced it up a bit. One shock from this and he’ll be incapacitated in a heartbeat.”

Tony looked over the bracelet and nodded. “Anything else?”

“Nothing you need to worry about. But if he starts talking, you make sure to pay attention. If you can get him to get chatty, then by all means. But for now, it’s a stalemate.” Natasha gave the indication that she didn’t like this any more than Tony did. But at the moment there was nothing more they could do. She opted instead to switch the subject with her usual amount of grace. “So…did you ask her yet?”

It took Tony a few seconds to remember that Natasha had helped him pick out the ring. “Not yet. Getting there. We keep getting interrupted.” He looked over at the former assassin. “You didn’t say anything right?”

“Come on Tony. You’re asking a former KGB agent if she can keep secrets?” She smiled warmly at Tony. “Not a single word. I wouldn’t take this away from you.”

“Pepper’s a special woman.” Tony admitted.

“Yeah it’s not every girl who can take Tony Stark off the market for good.” She shifted in her seat and Tony smirked. Natasha had changed from her stealth uniform to a more comfortable set of jeans, loose hoodie and sneakers. Her hair was tied back in a quick pony-tail and her face had been wiped clean of make-up. It galled Tony how she could still look so good like that without any effort.

Pepper walked out for her morning coffee wearing one of his button up shirts and a pair of pajama bottoms. Her hair was a mess and she was at the half awake point where there was still crusty sleep in her eyes. She realized Tony was looking at her and she smiled though a yawn, waving at the both of them.

“Just one.” He answered and smiled. As if on cue, Natasha yawned as well. “Hey when did you last sleep?”

“Before the whole Hela mission so…three or four days.”           

Tony jerked his head towards the hallway. “Not like we don’t have extra beds. Where is the snowflake anyhow?”

“Taking a morning shower with three very uncomfortable agents watching his every move.” She stood up and stretched till she was comfortable. You know where to find me. Morning Pepper.” The two redheads exchanged a quick hello.

“Well, we all survive till dawn, so can we safely assume Loki isn’t here to kill us?” Pepper asked by way of greeting.

“Not at the moment.” Tony lifted up as Pepper took out her morning yogurt and soy milk. He gave her another kiss and then another on the neck as she chuckled and waved him off. “Last night was good. Real good.” He whispered as his hands moved slowly to her hips.

“Yes it was.” She turned. “But now we have a few problems to deal with and anything else is going to have to wait.” Without even looking at her phone she began to prattle off a list of meetings and obligations Tony was expected to be present at. She was so preoccupied she did not notice the blue godling enter the room once more, now dressed in a pair of grey slacks and a button down white shirt. Three agents were in tow, looking for all the world as though they were guarding a diplomat as oppose to a prisoner. Pepper jumped a little as she saw him and gave Tony a glance as if to ask what should she do.

Tony sucked in his cheeks. “Morning Dancer.” He said with his usual lack of awe and respect. “Hungry?”

Loki stretched out his body, looking for all the world like he’d just stayed at a hotel. Which was sort of understandable. He’d spent two months freeing in the north and another four and a half sitting on stone floors in an empty cell. A good night’s rest on a memory foam mattress, a hot shower, and a change of clothing seemed to be doing wonders for his usual foul temper. “Ravenous.” He said with a grin at Tony. “Of course you may need to prepare a meal for four.” He gave a disparaging look over his shoulder at the agents. “Do you lot eat or do you just stand there like good little minions?” When they didn’t answer, he shrugged as though it made little difference and continued till he stood looming over Tony and laid a hand on the table in front of the mortal. “So, care to show me what I might sink my teeth into?”

Pepper raised her eyebrows with a disbelieving face and Tony shrugged. “Sure. You got a stomach made from the same stuff as Mjolnir?”

Loki didn’t seem to get the joke as Pepper opened the fridge. “What Tony is trying to say is that he can not cook to save his life.” You had to admire the woman. Last night she had been on the edge of a nervous break down before dragging Tony into their rooms. A few hours and a very long and determined ruination of the bed later, she had done what Pepper Potts did best.

Adapt.

Tony absently pulled up the schematics for the palladium shield as he ate breakfast, trying to ignore Loki at least a little. It had been one thing when the frost giant was behind glass, or at least in fetters. It was a great deal more panic inducing to see him, free but for a collar, wandering about the penthouse with this deceptively placid attitude. What happened to the power mad god who seemed intent on ruling the world? Was this an act? Just another twist down the roads of madness that was Loki’s mind? Tony never considered himself the introspective type. But as he watched the easy, languid movements of Loki as he watched Pepper show him the breakfast options, he wondered if even Loki knew just how quixotic he really was.

Was the god playing a game? _Okay well obviously yes. But the real question was, is a he playing a game intentionally, or subconsciously?_

He was flirting with Tony, which hey was a little weird but didn’t actively bother him that much. He hadn’t exactly picked up on a gay vibe from the guy but then again who knew what Asgardian’s considered normal sexual behavior. But now he was watching the blue creature behave in every way a gentleman as Pepper convinced him to try yogurt and cantaloupe.

Tony opened up the notes for the shielding system. They had all but finalized the design schematics, but there were a couple of problems that prevented he and Bruce from moving towards the prototype. Most notably, the cooling system. While Tony could replace his reactor without too terrible much hassle, the shield palladium cores would need to hold indefinitely, which ran the risk of the circuitry overheating and causing a backlash of unstable power into whoever was inside the shield walls. However, maintaining a cooling unit that would run off the core wuld only exacerbate the problem. Tony tapped the window that the theoretical core on it back and forth, letting him mind mull over this.

“Well now, what have we here?” Loki peered uncomfortably close over Tony’s shoulder, gazing into the blue screen as he sipped a cup with a tea tag hanging out of it. His red eyes locked onto the schematics and Tony could practically see his mind turning it over.

“Nope. Don’t think so Smurfette.” He said and shut it down with a single click. “Not sure if you even understand it, but I’m sure S.H.I.E.L.D wouldn’t like you peeping at their newest project.”

Loki gave him a long, smug grin of insufferable superiority. “I think it for the best, Anthony Stark, that you are not an agent of subterfuge. You have not the…what did Agent Barton refer to it as…poker face.”

Tony went blank as he saw the agents in the room wince. Apparently everybody buy him had caught his mistake. And frankly that only served to piss him off more. “What? What did I do? What?”

Loki pointed at the little square indented in the table. “You just told me 3 very important things. One: that you are under contract for S.H.I.E.L.D. Two: whatever your working on is important enough to be of interest to me. And three: if it’s something so significant to hide from me, than it must be something you are afraid I might turn to my ill purpose, which translates into one of my favorite words.” He gave a maniacal turn of his lips. “Power.”

Then, as if none of it mattered to him, he took a sip of his tea and smacked his lips. “Needs honey.” And stalked off to the kitchen to find some.

The agents gave Tony a glowering stage and he dropped his jaw. “Well…how was I supposed to know?” he argued and reminded himself from now on to follow Pepper’s little rule about no work at the table.

“If it makes you feel any better, your current design is far too problematic to be of use to me.” Loki said clearly over his shoulder as he poured way too much honey to be healthy into his tea. “Your cooling system alone leaves much to be desired.”

Tony scoffed, insulted by the offense at his design. “Like I’m going to take advice from a guy who’s entire culture is stuck in the renaissance era.”

Loki bristled irritably. “Does interplanetary travel sound even remotely ‘renaissance era’ to you? If so, what apocalyptic scenario did humanity undergo that such knowledge was lost to you.” He paused and then gasped. “Oh wait! Your species hasn’t even mastered that technology yet.”

Tony slammed his palms down on the kitchen table and turned around to deliver a scathing retort when one of the agents lifted a hand to his ear piece. “Mr. Stark we have a situation.” He said and everyone turned to look at Loki.

The god blinked. “I didn’t do anything.”

The connection feed opened up and Tony could see it was coming from S.H.I.E.L.D. as Fury’s eye looked into his. “Tony, is Loki there?”

“What, you can’t tell from the sound of his bullshit?” Tony spat off.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Mr. Laufeyson…”

“Correct me if I’m wrong but I’m certain Agent Romanoff has told you my preferred name.”

Fury gave a sigh. “ _Mr. Silvertongue_.” He continued. “Is it possible that anyone else came with you when your brother dropped you off?”

Loki’s face went from passive to curious. “Not…likely.” He came forward to face the director. “I was meant to wither away here alone. I hardly think they might have brought me company.”

“Then care to explain this?” The video screen switched feeds to show what looked like a museum floor. Two people were wandering around, looking like they knew where they were going.

“That’s the New York Museum of Natural History?” Pepper said and Tony looked over at her. “Their having a rare and unidentified gemstone display for the next few weeks. Heavily funded by a charitable donation from Stark Industries.” She smiled and Tony just kind of nodded. He rarely paid any attention to where their tax deductions went.

“And apparently this lady didn’t wait for tickets.” Fury moved the camera in and took a photo still, enlarging and clarifying the image to reveal a beautiful woman Tony would have easily put on the front of a Victoria Secrets catalogue.

“Amora?” Loki whispered, bringing his face closer to the camera.

“Her genetic signature identified as similar to yours, Mr. Silvertongue. Is she Asgardian?”

Loki crossed his arms. “Yes, but last I recall she was imprisoned for…” he trailed off. “For crimes against the royal family.”

“I’m guessing this was back when you were included in that clique huh?” Tony spouted off, still peeved about the dis of his design work.

Loki pointedly ignored him and gestured to the hulking figure at her back. “The grotesque neanderthal behind her is Skurge, her little lapdog. I would not advise allowing her to wander about, Director. Whatever she came to Midgard for, I can promise you it won’t be a benefit to your people.”

Fury nodded, apparently pleased Loki was willing to share. “Anything else you’d care to divulge about our new guest?” when Loki didn’t answer right away he continued. “Like how she got here in the first place if not by the BiFrost?”

Tony figured it out before anyone else could. “Well I’m willing to bet if the big chill here is one of a rare few who know about pathways between the worlds, then he was probably close enough to Miss Nine Realms to let her in on the secret.” He felt proud of himself when he heard Loki chuff. “Loose lips sink ships am I right?”

“My personal affairs are not the business of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“You should work on your poker face, Lokes.”

“If you two can stop antagonizing one another for a brief moment. Loki, any information you could give us, what she might be here for. What to expect when we engage her?” He looked at the god speculatively.

He seemed to be weighing as to whether or not divulging anything would be to his benefit. For whatever reason, likely ones no one wished to speculate on, Loki talked. “She is as I am…was.” He amended. “A magic user. One of the best, although, not the best.”

“Just could not resist could you?” Tony muttered.

Loki ignored him. “She is adept at mind control, setting men against one another. She is persuasive in many ways.” He shrugged. ‘She has some telepathy. It takes a strong will to resist hers once she sets into you.”

“And her big boyfriend?”

“Skurge is more in resemblance to my bro…to Thor. He wields his ax well, and won’t hesitate to wield it in her favor.” The god explained. “Amora is physically weak without him. She never could hold her own in hand to hand. Take out Skurge and you will stand a better chance against her but…”

“But…?” Fury said with far more patience than Tony had.

“You have no magic wielders on your little Avenger’s team do you?” Loki pointed out.

“We didn’t need them for you.” Tony answered.

Loki batted his eyelashes at the mortal engineer. “Ah, but I was here to conquer. Amora is apparently looking for something. Once she has it, she’ll be off. She can teleport when she wishes and you will need some means of stopping her.”

“And I suppose frost giants can accomplish that?” He sassed back, not willing to let Loki outsmart him.

“Jotuns can not. Were I in the full flush of my power, I could capture her alone. As it is, while my magic is diminished, I can hamper hers, if close enough.” He insisted.

Fury curled his fingers together, regarding Loki as one might a scorpion in its shoe. “And why would you help us out with her?”

Loki smiled. “Suspicious, Director? Have I not promised that I owe one of your agents a favor?” Tony jumped a mile when those ice cold fingers laid against his shoulder. He struggled not to show how bad it burned into him, this searing chill, and finally jerked out of Loki’s grip with a bone deep shiver.

“You’re idea of a favor was not to kill Natasha.” He argued.

Loki paused realistically. “Well, for me that’s a fairly big favor.”

***

Searing, terrible pain.

Tony gasped for air in the dark haze of voices and panic surrounding him. Someone was trying to support his body, weighed down by the Iron Man suit, and at the same time trying to figure out how to get it open so they could fix him. Blood pounded in his ears and for a moment it sounded like he was under water. Everything felt tight and he started to black out.

“Tony! Tony, keep your eyes open!”

He recognized Roger’s voice, telling him to hold onto his awareness. Everything hurt. He didn’t want to be aware of the pain anymore. It was burning a hole through him.

“I can help him.”

He didn’t hardly believe that the second voice was there. Behind it, somewhere beyond his vision, he could hear the dull roar of the Hulk in full battle fury. He tried to talk, but all that came out of a thick gurgling sound and more pressure in his body. Tony knew the hollow sensation in his chest, could hear the dull thudding of his heartbeat becoming sluggish. And the worst part? He couldn’t even think enough to pop off a last one liner.

“You expect me to trust you?”

“I expect you to realize you do not have time to decide!”

The voices were becoming more distant, he tried to reach up. To grasp hold of something as his brain felt like it was about to explode. His body was so overheated and yet he was shivering cold. In the back of his woozy mind, something screamed out: _Help me._ Tony liked to think he wouldn’t have said it out loud. But then who knew. Someone was talking again, but he didn’t catch it.

“Because I owe him a debt!” Was the answer.

A split second later, the breaking pain was replaced by a bone shattering cold spreading cross the circle where the ARC reactor should have been. He grit his teeth and moaned out in agony, chattering against it. The icy touched continued, regardless of this, engulfing his torso until he felt a strange, almost calming numbness.

“This is going to save him?” said a doubtful voice.

“This will give him time.” Another promised. “Keep his body warm while I….”

There was a flash of power and then Tony’s world went dark.

_***_

Tony blinked, then sluggishly raised his arm to block out the hateful glare of the hospital lights. His eyes fluttered and he groaned out. “Turn em off.” He groused bitterly and saw someone with blond hair move out of the corner of his eye. The lights dimmed so that all there was to adjust his retinas to was the dull glow of a monitor. Tony looked around the room and his eyes landed on a familiar shape.

“Welcome back.” Bruce smiled easily, standing by the door.

“Back? Was I gone somewhere?” Tony joked and groaned when he realized how much his chest hurt. “What happened?”

The doctor came and sat next to him, almost absently checking him over now that he was aware enough to talk back. “Amora…well Skurge happened to you. After that the uh…big guy kinda took over and it’s a blur for me too.” Once he was satisfied that Tony wasn’t going to slip into unconsciousness again, Bruce fished out a laptop from his bag. “Here. Figured you might want this. S.H.E.I.L.D is going to want to debrief us once they know you are awake. And Loki…”

Tony was alert in a second. “Loki! Oh hell where is Loki?” He remembered seeing the jotun holding back along the fringes, as if he was trying to make a decision.

“Easy, easy there!” Bruce settled him back down. “He’s at the tower, kinda of being a smug jerk about the whole thing honestly.”

“Huh? What’d ya mean smug?”

“You don’t remember?” Bruce adjusted his glasses. Tony shook his head as if to say ‘obviously or I wouldn’t have asked.’ Bruce clicked on the laptop and pulled up a security feed. He hit play and Tony tilted the screen to reduce the glare.

He remembered some parts of the battle. Amora had been after a the Koh-i-Noor Diamond, on loan from the British museum. It was a cursed gemstone, at least as far as Midgardians were concerned. But Loki told a different story. Apparently the gem had some latent powers attributed to it, which was why it could only be worn by a woman. He had blabbered on for most of the ride about how magic was generally connected to female energy and those who were male often had trouble grasping hold of it. Cap had made some snarky commentary about ‘well then what does that make you?’

Loki had smiled back without a trace of humility and said “Would you like to find out?”

Ton wasn’t sure which snark he liked better.

The well planned attack had turned to chaos almost immediately. Bruce had Hulked out in order to keep Skurge off their backs while Loki hung back and provided useful suggestions and asinine commentary via comlink. Steve and Tony went to deal with Amora. But they had both been entirely unready for her persuasive powers.

Tony turned up the volume on the screen and even in replay her voice gave him chills.

“Such power, such strength.” Amora’s cooing symphony rang out. “I like that in a man. But surely you wouldn’t harm a lady would you?” she walked towards them, her hips swinging warmly, invitingly. It was embarrassing to see himself and Cap sort of staring at her, dumbfounded. “That’s right my boys, my good boys. You long for me. You want these lips, these arms to embrace you utterly. Such sweetness awaiting you, and all you need do is open this tiny little glass case for me…”

Suddenly Tony saw himself shake on the screen and slap a hand up to his helmet. Someone was obviously speaking to him through the com and the next second he heard _Highway to Hell_ blast out over the suits speakers. Amora balked, momentarily stunned and the loud music seemed to rouse Cap from his stupor. Someone had obviously told him that Amora’s voice didn’t have power if it couldn’t be heard. _Loki._

But before they could use that to their advantage, there was a roar from further off and in flew the Hulk and Skurge, battling against one another much to the museums dismay. Amora levitated out of the path of destruction while Steve and Tony went for her. But Skurge’s devotion outweighed his self-preservation. He slammed the Hulk through the wall and turned with his ax, flinging it at Tony and catching him directly in the chest.

Tony instinctively clutched at his reactor as though he could feel it all over again. It was comforting to feel the warm glow from his chest meet his hand.

“Yeah that was sort of our reaction too.” Bruce nodded and they watched as the Hulk made an inhuman sound and charged, looking ready to beat Skurge down into mush.

And that was when something a little surprising happened.

Loki was supposed to be staying back. He was a S.H.I.E.L.D prisoner and more valuable as an information source then for whatever combative skills he might hold. Not to mention if there was a power source near-by, they didn’t want him potentially getting hold of it. But As Tony lay on the ground, his suit sparking and shuddering and Cap at a loss for how to help, the blue jotun descended from his perch.

“I can help him.”

Tony shifted uncomfortably in the bed as he watched Steve and Loki debate angrily. Finally they seemed to reach an agreement and Steve found the latch to undo his suit. It hissed and steamed as it came open, revealing his torso and shattered reactor.

He hated seeing himself like this, helpless and struggling. Tony jerked and there was an instant of panic when he thought of how it felt to know he might have died in that instant.

On screen, Loki’s blue hands reached out to him, cupping the shattered reactor almost gently. Ice and frost extended from his finger tips and coated Tony’s chest, seeping into the core.

Green power flung out of nowhere and Loki was slammed back into a glass case, skidding against the tile flooring. “Hello again, beloved.” Amora smirked as she approached. “My but you’ve let yourself go since last we met.”

Loki grimaced. “I was going to say the same thing about you, _kæreste_.” He said without a trace of affection. “Thor would be so disappointed. Or perhaps not.”

Amora gave him a withering glare, but addressed him with sicky sweet tones. “Ahh. Poor Loki. Always the second choice no matter who it was given to.” She put a finger to her chin in mock concern. “But then you should have been used to that.” He power struck him again and Loki doubled over in pain. “But look at you now. I had heard rumors of your banishment, but I dared not believe it! Poor little Loki. Abandoned again.”

That was enough to rouse him from whatever he was suffering. Hellish red eye fumed at her and he flung out his ice magic, lancing dagger streaming through the air to hit their mark. Amora screamed as her shoulder was pierced and blood spurted up. “Skurge! I need you!” In came the brutal fighter, crashing through to get to her side. Cap took up his shield and played defense on Tony as he talked into a mic, probably trying to get a communication through to S.H.E.I.L.D.

“It all got a little crazy after that. The ice slowed the shrapnel’s progress and put you into a torpor. We were able to get you air lifted to the local hospital while Cap and I finished off Skurge.” Bruce explained, but the video was still going. Fury contacted Pepper and she might have broken speed limits bringing your reactor over.

“Good old Pepper. What about Miss Universe?” Tony asked, closing down the computer. It made him a little sick to his stomach to see himself that way.

“Still at large. But Fury’s put in a call to Thor. He’s staying with Jane Foster now on a semi-permanent basis. I wasn’t there for the call but he did not seem thrilled to know she was on Midgard.” Bruce shrugged. “Hey…you okay.”

Tony was holding his new core absently, breathing deep and thinking to himself. “He saved my life.”

Bruce nodded awkwardly. “Yeah. Surprised the heck out of us to.”

***

The hospital wouldn’t release him for three days, and it took Pepper and Bruce to make him actually listen. Steve dropped by twice, just to make sure he was alright and to give an informal debriefing. Natasha contacted him via computer and let him know Skurge was being handled but didn’t disclose exactly what that meant. Tony was privately sure there was a cage waiting for him somewhere deep underground. _Good riddance._

Nobody mentioned Loki.

When Tony was finally allowed to come home he had no intention of waiting. “Jarvis can you give me a scan of the tower and lemmie know where blue boy is?”

_Mr. Silvertongue is currently on the balcony for his room._

“Has he left to tower at all?” Tony asked suspiciously.

_Scans confirm that he has remained within his suites since returning from his outing with yourself._

That felt odd. Tony was sure Loki would have at least attempted escape. After all, he was incapacitated, Steve and Bruce were occupied. Thor didn’t even know he was here and Natasha was off escorting Skurge to some secret facility. Sure there were S.H.I.E.L.D agents on his tail, but he noticed a sudden lack of them around the tower. That actually pissed him off now that he though on it. “Jarvis, is somebody piggy-backing on your feed?”

_A quick scan of my capacity does seem to indicate a passive open feed sir._

Tony groaned. So Fury was keeping the cameras open. He could live with that for the most part. But even with the bracelets keeping Loki within tower confines, Tony didn’t trust it. Why hadn’t Loki tried to escape?

That’s when it hit him. Where else does he have to go?

Loki inclined his head slightly when the balcony sliding glass door opened. “I see you’ve recovered.” He said absently.

“Yeah. Course the reactor did most of the work. Tissue damage, blood transfusion, the doctors just sorta patched up the rest.” Tony said and crossed the distance between them. He realized the jotun wasn’t looking out at the city scape, but rather up. His red eyes gazing towards the stars, or at least the few dots of light that could be made out with the glare of New York light pollution.

“I miss it.” Loki spoke almost as if to himself. “In Asgard you can see the sky for an eternity in any direction. The colors, Anthony. The brilliance of the cosmos all laid out, open and inviting like a new woman, waiting to be explored. You can see everything there is and yet know none of it intimately. I used to adore looking at the sky.”

“Before you fell.” Tony said and then snapped his mouth shut when Loki gave him a curious look. “Thor told us… probably not everything but…”

“I’m sure.” His voice was dry. “But then you know what that’s like, don’t you Anthony Stark? To fall through the abyss of space and survive. How many men, even in all the nine realms, have seen what you and I have seen? How many can say they have touched the other end of the universe and come out the other side unscathed?” Loki reached out one elegant hand as though he could pluck the moon from orbit. He turned to look at Tony, his expression unreadable. “What did you see, through the wormhole?”

“An army. An insurmountable force.” Tony answered without thinking. It was true. If Natasha hadn’t closed the portal there was no way they could have defended Earth against the invasion. Even Avenging it would have been a neigh impossibility.

“The chitauri invasion fleet.” Loki surmised darkly. “The only comfort one can take from that knowledge is that it exists, for the moment, on the other end of the universe. It gives me time.”

Tony locked onto that comment. “Time for what?”

Loki realized his mistake. He covered it with a slick grin. “To enjoy life, Anthony Stark.” He leaned closer, the rich scarlet of his eyes almost in contrast to the cold of his body. “After all, for us who have seen the cosmos in its rawest form…” he drew his face up along the mortals, his voice low and silken. Tony felt a chill on his skin that had nothing to do with the jotun magic. “…seizing opportunities becomes ever so much more important.”

_His breath is warm._ Tony realized as it make the hairs on his neck stand on end. A sort of drowsy sensation made the air thick between them and he realized that with the slightest turn of his head, their lips would touch. They were watching one another, waiting to see who, if either of them, would make that decision.

“Tony!”

The heavy air seemed to dissipate instantly and Tony jerked his head back to see Pepper’s smile as she ran across the balcony to him. “Pep!” he grabbed her up in a hug and felt warmth seep into him as she kiss him deeply, hands grabbing the back of his head possessively. “Good to see you too.” He chuckled and felt the same delight that made his heart beat a little faster whenever she was close.

“You should have let me know they release you.” Pepper scolded, smacking his shoulder playfully.

“Well I didn’t want you to worry. Or to come over here and fuss around me. Bruce does enough of that for two girlfriends.” Tony joked and kissed her neck. He eyed Loki over the back of her hair and saw the once god ignoring them entirely, face cast back towards the stars.

Pepper’s eyes followed him and she coughed lightly, straightening her neat white pencil skirt. “Mr. Silvertongue.” She addressed Loki, walking forward to meet him. “I saw what you did on the cameras. Thank you, for that. For saving Tony’s life.”

Loki blinked as though shocked. He arched an eyebrow at Tony who shrugged. That was Pepper. She could walk up to the Devil and broker a deal with a smile. “You are welcome, Miss Potts.” He answered back without a trace of awkwardness. “Consider it my thanks for permitting me residence here.”

“Well if that’s how you’re going to pay rent you can stay as long as you like.” Pepper joked with a nervous laugh. “He uhm, Tony kinda constantly needs looked after.”

“I’m becoming aware of that.”

“Hello, right here!” Tony answered and took Pepper’s arm with the excitement of a schoolboy. “Come on. I think there’s a welcome home present waiting for me in the bedroom.” He dropped the hint and Pepper blushed richly, nodding her thanks again to Loki.

Neither seemed to notice how the eyes followed them, much less the twitch of his lip as Loki was left alone with the stars.


	7. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having Loki as an ally can be a huge benefit...if you can get him to cooperate.

“Could we use an outside stabilizer? Something that would use a different power source?”

“Not without sacrificing the shields integrity and potentially making it easier to destabilize.” Tony went over the schematics for the third time that morning. “See that’s the trouble.” He pointed out the theoretical cooling system. “We can have the cooling system use the reactor core to stabilize, which will keep the device integral. But it will drain the power source nearly six times faster. But if we use an outside power source, we risk opening up the core to damage.” Tony rubbed his goatee and growled.

Bruce crossed his arms stubbornly. “And on top of that the cooling is tricky. If it cools too fast the reactor’s going to be slow. If it’s too slow the reactor risks overheating and…”

“Boom.” Tony finished.

“What we need is a timed release.” Bruce concluded. “Something that will only react when the temperature goes too high…”

“Still doesn’t solve the problem of keeping the unit compact…” Tony muttered, thought he mentally logged it as problem number one thousand, one hundred and eighty five. He was starting to regret the entire concept.

“What you need is a refresher course in basic arcane biomechanics.” Said a smooth voice, full of cock distain.

Tony jerked his head around to glower at the blue god in his lab. “Nobody asked for your help Smurfette.”

“Err…actually…” Bruce started.

“Yeah I know! I know!” Tony waved him off irritably.

It seemed S.H.I.E.L.D was less than thrilled with the level of time Tony was dedicating to the palladium shield project. Between the presence of Agent Romanoff and Loki’s little guard contingent, they had been reporting back to the good director on more than their resident ice cubes activities.

So now Fury had been bothering him at the most inconvenient times to remind him their side project was due.

Tony didn’t blame him. Everything had been hectic for the last few months. Between all the little Loki involved episodes, Tony had been concerned too. First the chitauri and then Amora. What else could potentially find its way through the realms?

A protective shield was looking more and more necessary.

But having Loki here put him on edge for a lot of reasons. He still didn’t think it was wise to let the jotuns have an overview of their project. Even though Asgardian’s might have advanced knowledge of technology, Loki was still… well…Loki. There was no telling what he might use it for. Not to mention Tony now felt as though Loki was being given private information regarding his reactor. Thought the core of the shield would function at a singular purpose, it still required the same basic build and maintenance as the one in his chest.

He didn’t like the look on his face when Romanoff had been showing him the basics of their design thus far. Her argument, in asking Loki to provide assistance, had been that the shield would afford him a certain amount of protection as well, should the chitauri come knocking again. Not to mention help cement his slowly growing relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D. should his help prove useful. But it put Tony on edge to see how those red eyes lit up when he saw the prototype design for the core. The pupils flickered towards the mortals chest and back to the computer screen in an instant and he could wear he had seen a little curl at the corners of those blue lips.

But on top of that, Loki made him nervous.

It had only been a few days since his life had been saved by the very same disgraced prince who was now eyeing their schematics dismissively. And Tony’s mind kept returning to their conversation on the roof. Accuse him of whatever else you like, but Tony was really good at reading the mood of a room. Just because he liked to deflect or distract people from bringing him down didn’t mean he was oblivious to it. And Loki was particularly subtle. The way he always seemed to choose to stand by his host. How when he did smile, it always lingered for a touch long at Tony.

He wondered if Bruce had noticed. It was entirely possible that he was just being egotistical.

It was also entirely possible that Loki was just a giant flirt.

“So…what do you think?” Tony crossed his arms and swiveled his chair around to glare at the jotun.

Loki rolled his eyes. “It’s obvious you can not resolve the overheating issue with temporary control. Adding a unit specifically for cooling it is going to be clumsy and inefficient as it will require the use of an outside power source merely to be maintained. At least…it will if you use Midgardian science to achieve it.” He appointed with a long, clever finger to the blue screen. “See this? Palladium is by its very a nature its own power source. Power craves to be used, to be free. You can’t keep it contained eternally without it either burning out or collapsing wantonly. Your cooling unit might delay it. But the reaction when it does collapse will be all the more catastrophic.”

Loki thumbed his bottom lip. He was next to Tony, and though his eyes never left the screen, Tony could almost feel himself being observed. “So you’re saying it won’t work regardless of a cooling unit?” he argued irritably.

“I’m saying the palladium itself needs to be made more stable if you want to resolve the issue.” Loki explained slowly as though talking to a child.

“And would you know how to do that?” Bruce asked. He seemed legitimately curious as to whether or not it could be accomplished. So was Tony, but he was also a little insulted. Hadn’t he been trying to further stabilize palladium for a few years now? And Loki just came in here and…

“I…am unsure.” Loki admitted grudgingly and Tony smiled with an air of smug peace of mind. Loki caught the look and glowered at him. “We never developed palladium. Asgard is technologically advanced beyond your planet, but we have a different energy source. This stuff, this new element you have concocted. It is unfamiliar to me. Almost alchemic in nature.”

“I thought you were the big guru of sorcery and magic stuff.” Tony mocked. Not that he believed in that.

“Alchemy and the arcane are not the same thing.” Loki insisted with a sneer. “True they can be combined to some extent, but alchemy exists on the principal that matter is transmutable. That it can be converted if one simply knows the equation.” He looked back to the screen. “With magic…the equation itself is entirely irrelevant. You merely need to believe what you wish is capable and it can be made so.”

“That’s…ridiculous!” Tony insisted, sitting forward. “Just wish it hard enough and it happens? If power like that existed, what would stop anyone from just seizing hold of it and…” He stopped, the realization coming to mind and he saw Loki grin.

“Yes…what would stop someone.” Loki took on his power stance, his hands clasped arrogantly behind his back. “To answer your question, very few people have either the natural talent or knowledge to manipulate such a force on any level. Much less on the level at which reality itself becomes mutable. Your discovery and creation of palladium is by it’s very existence a bending of the construct of reality. It _shouldn’t_ exist. But it does. You, a mortal, not even a touch of magic to you, _should not_ have been capable of creating it. But you did. It is…impressive.”

It took Tony a moment to realize that the god was honestly complimenting him. “Yeah well, in general I’m a pretty impressive mortal.” He tried to sound nonchalant about it. “But it still doesn’t explain how to improve on the palladium. Are you saying you can bring your ‘magical talent’ to the table?” he said with heavy air quotes.

“You do not believe in magic.” Loki said as though disappointed. “And yet I acknowledge science.”

Tony blew a raspberry in the air. “Yeah. Because science exists.”

“So does magic.” Loki’s fingers reached forward and ice crystals formed within his palm. “Merely on a different level.” He looked back at the screen with sudden inspiration. “I could…yes…perhaps.” He tapped the table. “Difficult. Not impossible but…” he hummed to himself for a few minuets. “Oh it would be such a task!” whatever he was thinking, he seemed almost excited by it. He began moving his fingers subconsciously, the crystals between his fingers forming a ball of ice.

Bruce caught on first. “A sphere…” he muttered.

Tony balanced. “Wait…wait what? You’re talking about a convex sphere.” Tony looked from god to Bruce. He gestured to the ball Loki still had forming. “A mirrored plane?”

“Yes…thought it would take some doing.” Loki licked his lips. It was sort of funny, to see him like this. Almost like Tony when he had a breakthrough in the lab. There was an air of urgency and thrilled brilliance to him and his eyes were wide as he gestured to explain. “One of the principals of the arcane is that a mirror is in truth a reflection of the infinite. If one could reflect the power of the palladium back through itself, allowing the power to bounce back through the mirrored plane…”

“It would use enough of its own power merely in refracting about the infinite plains to keep from overloading!” Tony damn near jumped out of the chair. “And if you could produce the mirror from ice it would ensure that, if the energy did bounce back to the core, it would be cooled enough to help sure a stabilized palladium field!”

Loki blinked. “Yes.” He said, obviously surprised that Tony had caught on so quickly.

“Can you do that?” Bruce asked skeptically. “Can you create a stable cold fusion reactor without requiring an outside power source?”

“I do not understand your terminology, but I believe our concepts are on in the same.” Loki answered. “As to whether I myself can make one…” he paused, looking down at the ice ball in his hands. “I do not know. I have never practiced with my more elemental magic. I was…unaware of its existence for the longest time. At the moment it is mostly instinctual.”

Tony groaned. “Oh come on!” he sniped. “Are you going to sit here and tell me you come up with this bad ass idea and you can’t even implement it?” He totally ignored the ugly look Loki was giving him. “What kind of a frost giant are you?”

“One who spent most of his life in ignorance of his heritage!” Loki bit back. “Not that it would have helped much. Jotunheim is not exactly a pinnacle of scientific or arcane development.”

“Yeah, Thor said as much.”

Loki bristled at the mention of his brother’s name. “Well then perhaps you should take your suggestions from him. I would absolutely adore seeing what he could come up.” He rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Or perhaps you’d prefer not to see what happens when you strike an unstable palladium core with raw electromagnetic force!”

“Guys settle it down!” Bruce said, stepping closer with his hands out. The two of them were yelling at one another, hands back and in an aggressive posture.

“So you’re saying you won’t even try?” Tony argued.

“I’m not going to risk myself for a mortal fool with no appreciation for my talents…”

“I’d like to see it.”

Everyone sort of froze. They had been so wrapped up in their little debate that no one had noticed Pepper had entered the workshop. She stood there, armed with a pencil skirt and an effortless smile as her heels clicked forward on the tile. She walked directly over to Loki, tossing her strawberry blond hair back over her shoulder. “I mean the closest thing we see to magic is Thor swinging his hammer around. Which is okay, I guess…”

 _Pepper you devious, brilliant…_ Tony had to bit his bottom lip to hide his smile.

Loki, on the other hand, couldn’t seem to be troubled to keep his grin hidden.

“But I would like to see what real magic can do.” Pepper asked smoothly, batting her eyes with a sweet little smile at the blue skinned alien.

Loki chuckled under his breath. “You, Miss Potts, are very good.”

Pepper nodded with a sense of coy satisfaction.

“I suppose I could be persuaded to, at the very least, put forth my best effort.” Loki conceded. “I would not wish to disappoint my generous hosts.” He gave a courtly nod to Pepper and strode back to the screen, looking towards the design again to finalize it in his mind.

“So what was that?” Tony whispered after a hello kiss on the cheek.

“Oh so you can flirt with him but I can’t?” Pepper answered back with a trace of humor.

“I do not flirt with him!” he lowered his voice when Loki gave an annoyed glance in their direction. “I do not flirt with him.”

“You flirt Tony. You flirt with him like you flirt with everyone.”

“I do no flirt with everyone.”

“You flirt with Bruce.”

“Do not.”

“You flirt with me, Tony.” Bruce chimed in.

“Wait, what?”

“It’s not big deal. You’re just natural flirt. You do it so subconsciously you don’t even realize it.” Bruce answered, adjusting his glasses on his face as he picked up a tablet and began moving graphs around in the planning phase. “Never bothered me much.”

Tony gave a little pout and then looked at Pepper. “Sorry.” She didn’t seem upset by it though.

“It’s just another of the wonders of living with Tony Stark.” She mused listlessly.

Okay, so he could be a bit of an operator. But he didn’t meant anything by it. “Okay but how have I been flirting with _him_?” Tony gestured with his head at the jotun. Surely Loki had to realize he was being talked about. Did he not hear or did he just not care?

“You just do.” Pepper answered with a shrug. “Oh I know it isn’t something you do with any intention. But you… Tony you want people to like you.” Pepper said carefully, aware it might offend his pride. “It doesn’t even matter if you like them or not. You just need people to like you. So you smile and tease and poke because you’re charming enough to get away with it. It makes the recipient feel good and they smile even when they don’t realize it and suddenly they like you.” She ran her hand through his hair. “You’re easy to like.”

Tony looked dissatisfied. It made him sound like an attention junkie. _Which is not entirely off base._ Okay fine but it made him sound desperate. And, whether it was intentional or not, he did not want to be thought of as flirting with Loki.

Even if Loki had been flirting with him.

That in and of itself was something of an irking sensation in the back of his mind. Loki was nothing if not a class A manipulator. And as one himself, Tony knew how to recognize it in others. Loki could be helpful, cordial, even outright friendly. So long you had something he required. He had been very cooperative ever since their assistance in rescuing his daughter Hela. And even now, after having saved Tony’s life should have squared them, he was still willing to lend a hand with the palladium shield because it put him in good with the people who could easily return him to a cell. Loki was a former prince. And Tony was sure that he much preferred the style of the tower. Again, Tony and S.H.I.E.L.D had something he wanted. So he could be very giving.

So the question was, what did he gain by flirting with Tony Stark?

Loki was speaking with suspicious politeness to Bruce as the physicist began to draw up plans for the scope and dimensional quality of the potential sphere. Of course he wouldn’t want to provoke the good doctor. After a closer look at the security cameras from the museum, Tony had noticed with a smirk just how clear out of the Hulks path Loki had stayed during the battle. When the great green giant had finally turned to him, Loki and stayed directly next to the Captain at all times, not making any sudden movements.

If fear wasn’t the correct word, healthy respect was.

That being said, Bruce had adapted admirably. he didn’t seem to ‘mind’ Loki very much, although he treated him with the same awkward politeness and the two did not go to the lengths of conversation outside the lab. Steve had been very cautious, even after Tony and Fury had explained the controls in place to make sure Loki didn’t flit off. But he also didn’t make his home in the tower. As far as Tony knew, Steve had rented some apartment in Washington and was trying to rebuild his life there. So the two didn’t need to talk on a regular basis. Clint hadn’t been around lately, but it was a good bet that if Natasha knew, he knew too.

So that only left one of their little group unaccounted for.

_Sir, Mr. Odinson has arrived from Arizona and is in the waiting room._

_Well speak of the devil…_ Thought Tony.

_It would appear he is rather…agitated._

Tony did not miss the side-long glance from Loki. “Uh, yeah sure let him in.”

_It would appear he intends to enter regardless as to my letting him or not, sir. But I would be grateful to keep my circuitry relatively unbroken._

The doors to the lab slid open and in he came, dressed more for battle than for gallivanting around Midgard. Thor’s eyes landed on Tony and he smiled broadly. “Anthony Stark!” he clasped his hands on the shorter man’s shoulders and gave him a gripping embrace. Tony gasped as he felt his muscles pinned by the immortal Asgardian. “You are unharmed! When your director Fury informed me I feared…”

The tension in the room was so thick a sword couldn’t cut it.

Thor had spotted the big blue elephant in the room.

“Yes, dear Thor?” Loki said with frightening calmness. “What did you fear?”

Pepper stood up and Tony fingered the little electronic receptor under his skin that would summon the suit. Of course he could always use the controller for Loki’s collar. But something about that made him feel…wrong. He would rather fight the gods head on than use some sort of sophisticated shock collar.

Then the strangest thing happened. Thor went from staring directly at Loki, to almost looking through him.

“I had been here on Midgard, visiting with Jane.” He explained slowly, forcing himself to focus on Tony. “Your director took the chance that I might be there and informed me you had an encounter with Amora, The Enchantress.” Thor successfully managed to turn entirely away from Loki. “I have been the victim of her powers before, Anthony Stark. You are lucky to have survived unscathed. Those who use such trickery are not to be trusted.”

  1. Tony rolled his eyes. He heard a scoff of laughter from Loki’s direction and saw the shoulders shake.



“Trickery.” Loki muttered. “Forgetful aren’t we. You never seemed to mind these tricks when they were at your side. Defending you, saving your life. How easily it slips through your thoughts.” Loki’s voice rose to where Thor had to hear it. The smooth, manipulating tone of condescension an echo through everyone there.

Thor’s jaw tightened, but he did not respond, nor did he remove his eyes from Tony. “I will be staying with Jane Foster, should you have need of me, Anthony Stark.” Thor said in a strong tone. “I guard my comrades.”

“Your comrades.” Loki hissed sharply, his upper lip trembling in a sneer. “And they call me the god of lies.” He spun on his heel with elegant flair. Tony could see his fists gripped so tightly the blue of his skin paled around the knuckles. “Where was your guarding assistance when I was banished? When did you ever use your sway with fath… with the All-Father to…”

Thor’s blue eyes were full of regret and suffering, but he did not turn to look or even seem to acknowledge that Loki had spoken to him. Instead he stood up to his full height and forced a smile on his face as he turned to look no at Bruce. “Good to see you again, Dr. Banner!” his voice was light and dull as he pushed directly past Loki as though the man were not even in the room. Bruce did a double take from the jotun to Thor before the two began to speak awkwardly.

Tony was starting to feel extraordinarily uncomfortable. Not just because of Thor’s apparent and forced ignorance of the man he once called brother. But because of Loki’s reaction to it.

That cold, lithe composure was breaking in spasms across his face. He was shaking from fury and rancor, the chill of his powers running through the air as his eyes shot fury across the room at Thor. “I am done with you.” He growled out and stormed from them, Jarvis sliding the door open as Loki exited the room with S.H.I.E.L.D agents in tow.

Thor’s shoulders slumped the instant Loki had left. “I should not have come.” He muttered suddenly. “Director Fury ensured me all was well. I should have trusted in that rather than provoke him by my presence.”

“He’s kind of provoked by anything so hey no harm no foul.” Tony answered smartly, clapping a hand on the great shoulder.

“You do not grasp the situation.” Thor complained and shook his head. “I can not…If I even acknowledge him I…” The god cut himself off and shook his head. “No. I am sorry. Forgive me my poor mood.” He forced a smile on his face and turned then to Pepper. The bold, beautiful prince of Asgard took on a far more honest glow as he took her hand with courtly grace. “Now, shall I not be introduced to this fair maiden?”

Tony rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as Pepper did what every woman seemed to do around Thor and flustered.

***

Nobody saw Loki the next day, though Tony checked in on him through the feed and through talking to the agents who now had a constant presence in his tower. Strange thing was, they reported nothing. Loki had gone to his rooms, turned the electric fireplace into an ice sculpture, and then grabbed a book. He had proceeded to sit on the window seat for the next twelve hours to read. Unmoving, untalking. Apparently not giving a single care as to who was there or not. He had fallen asleep around three a.m., just about the time the guards switched out, and then woken up the next morning to shower and take the book back up.

“Does he want anything to eat or anything?”

“It would be my best guess that Mr. Silvertongue does not want to be disturbed.” Said the agent smoothly. “And I am not taking him a hot plate to find out.” He added sarcastically in a way that reminded Tony that these were agents here to make sure Loki didn’t do anything problematic. Not personal attachés.

Tony took them at their word.

Until about three days later when it became obvious that they weren’t going to get any work done on the palladium refractory core (now being dubbed PRC) without Loki. Bruce had worked out the finer points on the schematics, but if they wanted to test the theory they needed the frost giants powers. Tony had theorized, correctly of course, that jotun ice differed from the frozen water of earth it was denser, and of a strange chemical composite that caused it to be shatter proof and melt proof if done correctly.

The video feed of the still frozen fire in the hearth of Loki’s room was proof enough.

They had considered mirrors, but that would just cause the palladium core to build power without cooling it to keep it stable.

On the fourth day, Tony groaned and kicked himself away from the list of bad ideas that wouldn’t work with out the fallen god. “He just had to go and give us a perfect solution.” He groaned out irritably. By comparison everything else he and Bruce had come up with was useless.

The doctor smiled. “You can’t fault the guy for intelligence.” He answered. “I mean he’s still crazy as all hell, but that doesn’t make him stupid.”

Tony shrugged. “Well it’s not going to do us any damn good if he keeps sitting in his room like a spoiled princess.” Thor had left after a few hours, once he seemed convinced that everything was relatively well in hand. He kept dropping very not-subtle-in-any-way hints about ‘keeping an eye on things’ and ‘beware of the untrustworthy’. It actually irked the living hell out of Tony. Why wouldn’t he just come out and say it? He had to have questions! Obviously he hadn’t known Loki was taking up residence there or he would have come around a lot sooner. And why wouldn’t he just do what he always did and threaten to pound his brother into the ground if he didn’t keep behaving himself?

Why was he just ignoring Loki?

“We can’t go any further on this without him.” Bruce looked up at Tony over the edge of his glasses.

“I know.”

“Somebody needs to go get him out of his room.”

“So you go.”

“He doesn’t like me very much.” His sullen tone radiated that he was sort of used to that.

“Well you did kinda pound him into the tile and concrete. I have it saved on video.” Tony chuckled and pulled up a gif format of it. It so should not have been funny. But it was.

Bruce gave a wry grin. “He likes you though.”

“Not that I’ve noticed.” Tony tried to be non-chalant. Unbidden the thought of the balcony sprang into his mind. Loki had been so close to him. All it would have taken was a turn and...

“You could go talk to him. See if you can get him to come out and start prototyping…”

“Or I could send Natasha to go do it.”

“Or you could go do it. Tony we have to work with this guy.”

“He threw me out a window.” Tony tried as a last resort. Bruce’s eye roll was so close to his own that he almost felt proud of it. “Okay.” He slapped the armchair. “Okay, fine. I’ll go talk to broody and sociopathic. Jarvis? Where is our resident angst ridden immortal teen?”

_He appears to still be in his rooms, sir._

“Great.” He wandered out through the hall in time to see Natasha talking in private tones with one of Loki’s guards. She turned to him expectantly and nodded as if to say ‘finally’.

“Fury wants progress on the shield.”

“Working on it.” Tony promised. “Right now, in fact.”

“Doesn’t look that way.” She shot back.

“Well do you wanna go in there and deal with him?”

“I will if I have to. But aside from shooting him again I don’t know what good it will do.”

“Look he’s in a royal snit and…” Tony sneered. “Okay can we just…get rid of the entourage here. For a couple hours?” he gestured to the agents. “I mean if I gotta go talk to him I don’t need an audience.”

Natasha pursed her lips for a few moments, her mind obviously working through the scenario from all angles. She then surprised everyone by shrugged and lifting her wrist com to her lips. “Stand down.”

“Miss Romanoff.” One of the agents looked ready to argue the wisdom of the decision, but Natasha wasn’t going to give him that chance.

“Mr. Silvertongue has been cooperative thus far and we have no reason to believe he will change this. A little bit of leeway has improved his assistance and as both myself and Dr. Banner are in residence we have no reason to believe he is currently a danger.” She spoke to Tony, not directly to the agent. But the guy looked like he might have pissed himself if she directed the curt tone towards him. “We will be keeping an eye on the feed.” She promised. “And you still have the controller.”

“Yeah sure, won’t be a problem.” Tony promised as they left him alone with nothing but the door between him and the jotun.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you've been hanging around for some FrostIron entanglement, here ya go!!!

Loki raised his ice blue head, the moonlight glinting off his horns and he gave Tony a level stare. “What would you be doing here?”

“Well good morning to you too Sunshine.” Tony crossed his arms. “Never mind that this is my tower and yu are here strictly as a courtesy in exchange for your assistance.”

Loki closed his eyes as if dealing with a petulant child. “Forgive me.” He spoke smoothly, setting down his book. “I have been occupied.”

“Avoiding.” Tony corrected him. “Look Thor is gone. If he comes back you can come pout again…”

“Gods do not pout, Stark.” Loki said with annoyance and then realize he was unintentionally sticking out his lower lip. He rolled his eyes and stood up, straightening his clothing.

“Do gods also not storm off in a huff and slam the door like a teenager?”

Loki chewed the inside of his lip. “You are something of a chore, are you aware of this, Anthony Stark?” The jotun put down the book and tilted his head. “It’s rather like having a bothersome pet that constantly needs looked after.”

Tony fumed and his jaw tightened. “Oh I’m the pet? Of the two of us, which one had to get adopted from the S.H.I.E.L.D Supervillian Shelter.”

Loki surged up from the couch and loomed over him like an iceberg before the Titanic.

Okay, maybe he had pushed his limit with the adopted comment.

“You know the last time you attempted to speak to me like this I threw you out a window.” He warned.

“Yeah and then you got your ass handed to you by big green.” Tony jerked his thumb towards the door. “Want me to go get him?”

Loki’s eyes widened and he fought to maintain. “You are not terribly wise, even for a mortal.” He snapped irritably and turned on his heel, strolling away from the human.

“You’ve had centuries to get over yourself and clearly you haven’t done it.” Tony snapped back. “So come on, quit pouting and come get to work.”

“I am not pouting.”

Tony rubbed the bridge of his nose and groaned. “Look, why do you two antagonize each other so much? I can see where he might get annoying occasionally but really. I think you tried to take over the world just to irritate Thor.”

Loki pursed his lips. “I did not come to conquer this pathetic little planet merely to annoy Thor.”

“Okay so then why did you?”

“I had my reasons.”

“Which were?”

“Not your business, Stark.”

Tony groan. “Like dealing with a child.”

“I echo your sentiment.” Loki picked up the book he’d been reading and slid comfortably back up against the window seat.

The engineering genius shot him a dour look and sighed. “Okay.” He walked over to the god and took the book from his hands. Venom poured from those green eyes but Tony help up his hands in a placating manner. “How about, before we get back to work, you take me up on my offer.”

The observant face narrowed. “And what offer would that be?”

“The one you didn’t get the chance to take last time.” Tony gave a winning smile. “A drink.”

The god looked him over curiously, as though trying to sense a plot. “I am given to understand that you an alcohol are not the best of compatriots. Thus, all liquor has been removed from this vicinity.”

Tony nodded. “Well yeah Pepper did a pretty good job of that. But…” he walked over to a picture and moved the frame, showing a safe. “I have one or two of the really good bottles around here.” He put in the combination and opened the door. He wasn’t showing Loki anything beyond his private select liquor stash so he didn’t worry terribly over the god seeing the code. “Fifty year old scotch.” He presented the bottled like he was holding a jewel. “Older than I am, although not as pretty.” He took two glasses from a service tray and poured the rich amber liquid into a glass.

“Aren’t you supposed to serve that with ice?”

“Pthhbt! I won’t hear such curses in my house.” Tony chided and passed the glass across the table. “Go on, wrap your lips around that.”

Loki’s gaze traveled from the scotch, to Tony, then back. Finally he sighed and relented, picking up the cup and taking a cautious sip.

Tony had to stifle a snort.

“That is noxious!” Loki spat out, the ends of his lips pulling downward in disgust.

“It’s scotch! If you don’t’ make a face when you drink it isn’t good stuff.” Tony tried to explain. He grinned and knocked back his glass effortlessly. “But excuse me if we don’t have anything here on Earth suitable for such a…delicate palate.”

Loki caught the offense and grimaced as he followed suit, draining the cup in a single swallow.

“There ya go. Makes you tummy all warm don’t it?” Tony poured them each another glass.

“Some time you should sample Asgardian mead.” Loki offered and took the next cup with only a mild expression of distaste.

“I’ll be sure to ask Thor the next time he drops by.”

“Humph.” Was all Loki could seem to comment.

Tony sipped his third glass a little slower, trying to savor it. “Come on, out with it.” He finally said. “What do you have against him so bad?”

“I don’t have anything against him.” Loki explained, holding out the cup for another fill. “That’s exactly the problem.”

“You don’t…oh.” Tony caught on. “You’re saying he’s too good to have anything against.”

Loki nodded from side to side. “He’s always been that way. Untarnished. Unsullied. And do not think for a moment that he is all goodness and honor. No you have your Captain…Rogers for that.” He kicked the next glass back and poured a fourth for himself. “It is merely that what little stain falls on him is never attributed to him. It is merely discounted as the ribald and hearty constitution of a son of Odin.” He spat the last three words out bitterly. “He gets into a snit of trouble and the Aesir tsk and shakes their heads with a smile.”

“Okay. But then when was the last time Thor tried to conquer a world?” Tony asked, unable to just let Loki rant it out.

“He never had to.” Loki explained in between a swallow. “He already has one waiting for him.”

“That he doesn’t want.”

It was Loki’s turn to roll his eyes. “You fail to grasp the situation, Stark. Odin will not live forever. And while Frigga may rule for a time, the plan has always been for Thor to ascend the throne. I believe that at the moment, they view his interest in Midgard as revolving strictly around that woman of his. But the more attached he becomes here, the less concern he gives to the throne and his own people.” Loki paced angrily. “But gods above forbid anyone else should touch the golden chair!” he grunted. “Oh that’s just an offense too far.”

Tony smirked a little. It was interesting to see him like this. He poured another glass effortlessly, holding back on his own.

Loki took another strong drink and flopped beside Tony on the couch, looking very much the part of a sullen blue teenager. “It is not entirely his fault. I shall admit that much.” He conceded. “He was no less raised to be a king then I. The moment Mjolnir accepted him as a barer it was irrevocable that Thor would sit on Hliðskjálf.”

“Oh crap.” Tony shook his head, laughing before the melancholy stage of drunk could be reached. “How do you guys live with names like that? Hliðskjálf. Sounds like Norse venereal disease.”

Loki stared at him blankly, and then suddenly laughed. “I suppose it does at that.” He chuckled and set down his cup, rubbing his fingers together.

 _He has such elegant hands_. Tony caught himself thinking as they sat next to one another. They were too. Long and lovely, with black nails at the end. The way the gripped one another, smoothly intertwining.

Loki reclined back, looking for all the world like a lazy cat about ready to preen itself. “But it does not change the facts. Thor will one day take the throne and I…well…” he gestured about airily to the well decorated an posh suite. “I can only hope that I will be permitted such luxury in my banishment, or imprisonment.”

Tony chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment. “Or…you could make better choices.”

Loki inclined his head towards his with a deeply incredulous glower.

Tony couldn’t give himself credit for a lot of things. He generally was not the type to hand out advice, mostly because he wasn’t in a position to do so. But this was one area where he felt at least little bit of sway. “You said someone refer to me as The Merchant of Death. Well that’s because I used to be one. Here, on Earth, that moniker is used for someone who sells weaponry and doesn’t exactly care who buys it or what they intent to use it for. I sold weapons to the government…and sometimes our allies. Though to be honest you couldn’t always guarantee that allies today aren’t enemies tomorrow.” Loki nodded his head as if to say he was familiar with such a concept. “But uh…someone in my company, someone I trusted, was going behind my back and selling my stuff to terrorists. To the bad guys. I got caught up in it and…well it was smack in the face. Seeing everything I’d dreamed of, everything I’d put time and effort into being turned to ash and death. I never realized how many people I was hurting just by being blissfully ignorant.”

Loki was watching him now. Tony didn’t know what Asgardian tolerance for alcohol was, but there was no haze in the gods ruby red eyes. He was entirely focused on the mortals face, watching him without apparent judgment.

“So when I came back, I made a choice. I stopped making weapons. I stopped selling them, stopped funding them, removed all the government contracts… A lot of people hated me for it. My company might have circled the drain for a couple weeks until people saw what I was really doing.” Tony smiled. “And now…well a lot of people still hate me. Or at least don’t think someone with my past should be left with this kind of power in his hands.” He indicated the little nodule of skin where his Iron Man link was. “But I’m still doing what I think is right. What I think I can do to make up for what I did. And because of it…corny as it sounds…things have gotten better.”

Tony turned to face Loki, giving him the same winning smile he was so used to flaunting whenever opportunity struck. _Maybe Pepper is right. Maybe I flirt without being able to help myself._ “You fucked up. Bad. Really, really bad. But the good news is, you lived through it. And in my experience, any day on this side of the dirt is a chance to make things better.”

Loki had started to lean towards him, perhaps out of curiosity. “I have read the papers, watched the news broadcasts. You actions as Iron Man are…controversial at best. Many people simply do not appreciate the risks you take on. Many doubt your capabilities or intentions.”

“People always do that.” Tony shrugged. “But I’m not in this for popularity polls.”

“Why do you keep trying then, Anthony? Why past all the doubt of the very people you have saved, do you keep trying?”

Tony paused for a long time before answering: “I just don’t want to fail anyone again.”

A chilled hand closed around the back of his head and Tony had the sensation of an popsicle sliding into his mouth on a hot summer day.

_Oh!_

The way Loki kissed was a contradiction. It was slow, gentle, almost apprehensive, as if waiting to be shoved away. But when Tony didn’t move to stop him, it pressed forward with greater intention. The cold of it was a stranger sensation than the mortal could have imagined. And yet the passion backing it up…

Tony realized how much Loki was waiting for a response before pushing further.

Was the god actually waiting for permission?

 _Cold_. Tony though he his tongue slipped forward out of his mouth and slid down against Loki’s. There was a gentle gasping sound and a blue hand pushed its way down over the back of Tony’s t-shirt. _So different from Pepper…_

And just like that, everything snapped back into reality.

He pushed a hand up against the gods shoulder and was surprised when Loki drew back in confusion. Tony licked his lips, the numbing sensation over them making his mouth throb. “That’s…uh…” he sucked in air. “That’s some kiss Dasher.”

Loki smirked. “I’ve had centuries of practice.”

“No kidding?” _What do I do? What do I do?_

“I found you intensely pleasing as well, Anthony.” Loki almost purred out. The way he spoke Tony’s full name, like he could taste it on his tongue.

Tony swallowed hard.

Loki reached towards him again and it took a lot of strength not to let him.

“Nnnno.” It escaped his mouth, almost unwilling. But Loki halted. “Look uh… this…” Tony stood up, gesturing from himself to the jotun. “This…can’t happen.” He stumbled over the words. Fighting to find some loquaciousness. “This won’t happen. I…I gotta go.” He spun to make for the door.

“Did I mistake your passion?” Loki asked in a sultry tone as though he could woo Tony back to his embrace through words alone. “Or was your interest feigned?”

“No. No that was defiantly…” _Intense beyond comprehension._ “Good. But _this_ doesn’t happen.”

“It could.” Loki intoned, switching his position with such body language that it could be nothing but invitation. The god…jotun…whatever he was undid the top button of his shirt, revealing more of the whorled blue skin. “We could writhe till dawn, Anthony. We could ruin the sheets.”

 _Hypothermia not withstanding._ But Tony couldn’t help the image of it. His lips parted and for a split second he indulged it mentally.

Loki chuckled a little. “Would you not like the honor of bedding a god?”

And just like that, it was broken. Tony laughed so hard he snorted, holding his chest. “Oh my friggin…you…” he shook his head and tried to control himself. “You arrogant bastard!”

Loki stiffened, looking equally annoyed and embarrassed.

Tony straightened himself up and let another chortle escape. “We still need your help with the PRC. We’ll get to work in the morning.” He said in dismissal and headed for the door.

“Stark.” Loki’s voice echoed through the room. Tony seriously considered ignoring him, but that was equivalent of throwing a grenade into an oil tanker. He half turned to face the angry god. “I do not take kindly to rejection.”

A spurt of fear went into his spine. “Are you threatening to force me?”

Whatever Loki had expected, that was not it. His face went livid with fury. “How dare you slander my honor…!”

“What honor?” His voice was dripping with reality. “Everyone you’ve ever known is just another card in your deck. You stack them high and wait for the right time to draw. You never make a move that is for anyone’s benefit but your own!” He pointed an accusing finger out. “You want to know if I’m interested? Hell yeah I’m interested! You’re sex wrapped in leather and a slick hair-do.”

“Then why deny your own desires?” Loki crossed his arms, taken aback by this sudden display. “Why not give in?”

“See that right there. That is why. You are so wrapped up in _‘your own desires’_ that the actual consequences don’t mean a thing to you. But you want reasons? Fine.” Tony stuck up a finger. “I’m already in love with someone else. Her name is Pepper Potts. And despite what you may have read in the tabloids I’m not getting invited to orgies up at the Playboy mansion while she battles cancer.” Tony snapped off sharply, not really caring of Loki got the reference or not. He jutted out another finger. “Another good reason, you are a grade A certified dick. And that is coming from someone who has spent years mastering the art.” He was shocked Loki was letting him get this far without at least one death threat. But hell, while he had the guys attention…

“But you know what the main reason is? The main thing I keep coming back to that stops me from grabbing the back of your head and banging you into the pillows?” The look on his face was disgusted. “I am not your fucking consolation prize.” Loki went ramrod straight, his eyes flashing in anger and self-righteous comebacks. But Tony wasn’t about to give him the chance. “I get it. You’re alone and scared and I think it’s finally hit you that this is it. You won’t be getting any Christmas cards from Santa Odin. Even Thor, the one guy who never gave up on you won’t even speak to you anymore. Did you think no one else noticed? And even on top of that, you don’t even have more than your most basic magic to fall back on. I feel real sorry for you Loki. But I’ve spent enough time self-sabotaging to know what it’s like when you’ve done it to yourself. The only difference is; I am trying to stop. Maybe it’s because I’m human and we just don’t have as much time to screw around as you do.”

It was interesting to watch those aquiline, composed features radiate such a variety of emotions. He could pick up on a few of them. Most anger, fury, rage, hatred, the strong desire to back hand Tony into a brick wall. But it was the flash of a conscience that surprised him the most.

“You do what you want with your immortality here on Earth. But just remember five thousand years is a hell of a long time to be lonely. And Tony Stark is not your rebound.” He turned without another word and the doors opened. It might have been much more satisfying to slam them in his face. But then again that might have come off a bit girly too. He headed for the lab, not bothering to wait and see if a pissed off frost giant was about to head after him. Bruce gave him a curious look as he slammed down in the swivel chair and began pounding the blue keys.

“So…uh. Is he…?” Bruce pointed at the door.

“No idea. If he does he does.” Tony said and then groaned as he realized what he needed to do. “Crap. JARVIS, call Pepper. Tell her we need to talk about something.”

***

“So are you two having problems?”

Tony gave Natasha a long look. “Does it matter to you?”

The assassin shrugged. “Not normally. I do my best to stay out of your personal lives as much as possible. But it doesn’t take a spy to notice how Pepper didn’t give you the usual good-bye kiss.”

He had told her. Of course he had told her. And she was…well frustrated was a better word then mad. She wasn’t even directly mad at him. More like mad by proxy. Loki had left his room long enough to get a cup of coffee and she had shot him a look of seething rage that had actually made the god freeze for a second.

Then she had taken her briefcase and stormed out while Loki retreated gracefully as possible to his room.

This had not of course been lost of Natasha and Bruce, who had stared at Tony demanding an explanation.

Tony was hesitant to provide one. Explaining it to Pepper had been bad enough. Mostly because he didn’t automatically jerk away and become furious with Loki. He couldn’t really blame her for that. After all he did have sort of a reputation.

_But not with men._

And he defiantly wouldn’t do that to Pepper. Pepper, who had been there since the beginning. Who had always had his back even if it was so she could slap him in the back of the head for doing something stupid. Pepper, who was more CEO of Stark Industries than he had ever been. Who had seen him through countless troubles. Who had held him through nightmares and alcoholism and PTSD.

Temptation was all well and good. But it was nothing compared to Pepper Ann Potts.

And Loki was about to save him the trouble of an explanation.

“Anthony Stark.”

The three people in the breakfast nook jumped, even though only one of them had been called by name. They may as well have not been there at all for all the attention he paid them. His narrowed eyes were focused exclusively on Tony.

“What’s up Smurfette?” He responded, the sharp discourse of last night fresh in his mind.

Loki cast a brief, dismissive glance at Natasha, and Bruce before realizing they were uncowed by his presence and watching this intercourse with interest. He rolled his eyes and directed his attention where it was meant. “I am here to apologize for last nights…misunderstanding…”

“No I think you made yourself perfectly understood.”

“As did you.” He said quickly. Why did Stark have to make this so much more agonizing then it already was? “I apologize for my transgression, then. My behavior was beneath me as a prince of Asgard…”

“Which you no longer are.”

His exhale of breath looked like he was about to spit fire at them all. “And I will attempt to redress this in some manner.” Loki suddenly seemed to realize that everyone had frozen in place and his head snapped to the side. Bruce quickly went back to his Frosted Flakes. Natasha didn’t break eye contact. The jotun growled under his breath and added. “I promise not to attempt any further congress with you.” Loki finally spun on his heel, leaving everyone in awkward silence to look to Tony for answers.

“I just want to go on record as saying he flirted with me. Can we just clarify that right now? A known fertility god…” Tony indicated himself. “…was flirting with me and I rejected him.”

Bruce shook his head and took off his glasses rubbing his temples with irritation.

“You told Pepper.” Natasha said. It wasn’t a question.

“I couldn’t not tell her.” Tony indicated. “Would have made it a thousand times worse if she found out.”

“Well at least that’s more though than I’d have believed you capable of.” Natasha stood up. “Fury called a meeting, by the by. Now that Thor is back in town he wants to have a conversation with him.”

“Well good, have fun at that.”

“He wants you there, since you’re playing warden at the moment.”

Tony groaned. “I thought they wanted me to pick up slack on the palladium shield?”

“This takes precedent.”

Tony rolled his eyes.

 


	9. Chapter Eight

He’d left Bruce to do what he could about getting Loki started on the PRC.

Frankly this was an even bigger mess. It took them the better part of an hour to even get Thor to admit Loki’s existence, much less be willing to discuss his placement.

What it came down to was simple.

“Thor…” Fury looked to the hammer wielding god. “Would you like to elaborate on a few things? Such as WHY Earth was hosting the intergalactic war criminal Loki without any knowledge that we were doing so for nearly six months? No?” he questioned when Thor looked reluctant to answer. “How about the fact that you neglected to warn anyone that Chitauri assassins would be after his blood? Care to clarify?”

Thor seemed about as chastened as he could get. “It was never intended that you should keep him long. We thought that, should the Chitauri search for him that would come first to Asgard and we would throw them of his scent or perhaps deter them altogether.” He chewed his finger absently. “We did not think they would look to this backwater world for him.”

“Backwater world?”

“In the grand cosmos yes, Midgard is considered to be meager and backwater. Your people have barely harnessed space flight and even the presence of the aether here is miserly.” Thor suddenly seemed apologetic for the insult. “We thought he would go unnoticed, especially with his powers removed.”

“Which also left him no way of defending himself.” Tony couldn’t help but point out.

Thor’s face twisted with shame and he would not meet his friend’s eyes.

Fury paced. “And can we assume that this was the All Father’s idea?”

“No. Odin may have passed the sentence but it was our mother who convinced him of its wisdom.”

“Your mother.”

“No! Our mother! The bonds of family are not so easily thrown aside, not even at the word of Odin!” Thor crashed his hand into the table, denting it till a long crack formed. He clenched his fist back and bit his bottom lip. “I had hoped, foolishly, beyond reason that my brothers time here would do for him as it had done for me.” He looked at Tony for a moment, perhaps hoping to hear some news on this front. “That he would let the blight in his heart be removed. That he would smile and jest as he used to. Not one of you can know the light hearted mischief maker that was my brother. And none of you ever shall.” He put a hand to the one-way glass. “I miss the brother that made me glad.”

“That does not excuse extraditing Loki without so much as a by your leave.” Fury continued.

“There is more that he has yet to be told.” Thor Odinson lifted his head with great strife. “Our plan was not an entire failure. The Chitauri did first seek him out on Asgard. When they discovered that he was not within our dungeons they attacked Nifleheim and stole away Hela. I used this as a pretext to visit here, knowing they would search Midgard next. By the time I arrived, you had already solved this problem.” He nodded with due consideration at Tony. “I suggested it would be best for me to remain on Earth for some time, just to ensure that no more mischief came about due to Loki’s hands.”

“You could just take him home.” Tony suggested. It would solve a hell of a lot of problems if Thor would just take him away now and be done with it.

“I cannot. Even if Odin would permit him to set foot on Asgard once more, he would spend the rest of his long life in a very small cell. With no chance for redemption.”

“And what makes you think Loki is interested in being redeemed?” Fury asked, his good eye looking at the blond god.

“I do not _know_.” Thor answered. “But I live in hope.”

“We cannot afford hope.”

“And yet he does not seem to be in a cage here.” Thor pointed out. “Forgive me if I am mistaken, but room and board in your tower hardly seems a punishment, Anthony Stark.”

Tony couldn’t help but smile. People really did not give Thor enough credit for intelligence. “He’s helping us out with something. A shield in case the chitauri plan to attack again.”

Thor seemed to brighten at the suggestion, but Fury was of a more practical nature. “Which if the chitauri are after Loki, it benefits him just as much as it does us. Hardly what I would consider a penitent move.”

“But it is a start.” Thor argued.

“You give him more credit than he deserves.”

“Would you discount your brother?” Thor asked. “Would you forgo the bonds of family with such little hesitation?” He stood up, his height alone making for an intimidation factor. “I do not excuse what he has done. And I know you think little of it in the way of punishment. But understand that I cannot acknowledge him unless he directly attempts harm upon someone. He is cut off entirely from his home, his family, all he has known. He is bound to a form which is nothing less than monstrous. And in all likelihood, he will remain as this for the rest of his days. The All-Father does not have a forgiving nature.” Thor said it with some amount of bitterness. “All I can do, is hope that Loki will find some measure of peace here. It is the only hope I have left to give to him.”

“That is a fools hope.” Fury said without pity.

Thor smiled a little bit. “I have oft been accused of being a fool. Mostly by Loki. I hope I have at least become less a fool in his regard.”

The director did not look terribly convinced. “Stick around, as close as you need to. Hell invite Miss Foster if you want. But I want you in the city in case Loki suddenly decides to stop being useful.” Thor did not look particularly pleased about being ordered by Fury, but he nodded his consent, knowing it was wiser for him to be near, then taking his leave.

Tony got up to go, but felt the strong arm of the direct on his shoulder. “Heard you had an interesting conversation last night.”

It actually took his brain a second to click over. “Huh. Romanoff works fast.”

“She’s in intelligence for a reason Tony. If you think she hasn’t reported back every second of Loki’s actions…”

“Yeah. No. I guess I expected it.” Tony looked over his shoulder to make sure Thor was a safe distance away before continuing. “So what.”

“I was curious as to whether you might want Mr. Laufeyson…”

“Silvertongue.”

Fury gave him a more penetrating look with one eye than most could with two. “If you might want him removed from the tower.”

“Wasn’t aware that was an option.”

“It’s not my personal preference. Frankly Loki is a greater danger to people here, locked up, than he is with you. I don’t want my people getting hurt trying to protect him.”

“But you’re fine with us getting in the cross fire.” Tony couldn’t help but add.

“That’s not how I look at it. Think of this more like witness protection. You are keeping a valuable asset in custody.” Fury continued. “But the fact remains, Loki made a move on you.” The director seemed to be considering his options before he spoke again. “If this were Natasha, I’d have her move in. He’s proven useful with the information regarding the chitauri incident. And Banner informed us that he’s given you both some ideas with the PRC.”

“Is everyone keeping you informed except me?” Tony groused out.

“I’d prefer it if it didn’t have to be that way. But we both know that’s not how you operate. You like being the rebel Tony, and believe it or not that makes you just as valuable of an asset to S.H.I.E.L.D as any other Avenger.” Tony stared blankly at the man, not quite believing what he’d just heard as a compliment. “Natasha and Clint follow orders but think on their feet. They knew when to deviate without sacrificing the mission. Steve is a soldier, he’s a leader who knows how to pull a team together. Thor makes for a damn fine powerhouse, but his loyalties are uncertain at best. And while I wish I could say Banner’s value lies strictly as a scientist, the truth of it is the Hulk ended up the more needed element during the invasion. But he’s still too volatile to rely on.” Fury paced back to the desk, sitting down as though he had too many factors to consider. “You on the other hand…”

“Arrogant, narcissistic…” Tony started to rattle off.

“Also a brilliant problem solver. And Loki is a problem to be solved.”

Tony took a very long moment before answering. “What is it you’re asking me to do here?”

“I’m not asking you to do anything. And before you go into it no, I’m not ordering you to do anything either. But out of everyone else, Loki seems to have fixated his attention on you from the beginning. I’d really rather have Natasha get into it. She has experience handling this sort of situation.”

“I’m not cheating on Pepper.” Tony blurted out directly, a little bit of anger riling up in him.

“I’m not asking you to.” Fury had a calmness to his voice that could be equal parts terrifying and placating. At the moment, it was sedate, merely putting ideas out there. “However, if you can use that ever so charming personality of yours to keep him focused, keep him on our side so to speak… He has been more cooperative with you than anyone else. We just want to eliminate a threat, Tony. Isn’t that worth a little flirting?”

***

“Magic is an art form, Anthony!” he had barked when Tony crossed his arms and started talking about scraping the plan. “And I am…unused to using these powers outside of instinct. I will need practice if I am to achieve success.”

“So what? All powerful ice giant can’t make ice good enough?” Tony frowned and started working up a new schematic.

“It isn’t that simple! You aren’t just asking for ice! You’re asking me to consolidate enough power to create a perfect…!”

“Yeah yeah Snowflake. We’ll get to it. Part of _science_ is trying multiple solutions.” Tony had waved him off and was already trying to project new schematic up.

Loki was unsure as to why it mattered to him, but it pricked at his pride to have this mortal find him so incapable. “I can do this.” He said without a waver in his voice. “I just need a bit more time.”

Tony looked up doubtfully. “Look you don’t have to go to so much trouble. Take a break, get some food. We’ll start fresh tomorrow. Bruce and I still have to calibrate the dimensions…”

“Once more.” Loki said with a commanding gesture, both scientists looking at him with a questioning glance. “Damn you both I said once more!”

“DUCK!”

“What do you mean…?”

“Get the fuck down you Smurf!”

Loki made a noise as both Tony and Bruce grabbed his shirt and yanked him down behind the lab table. A high pitched whistle erupted from the containment box, screeching loud enough to pierce ear drums. A dark blue flash erupted and shrapnel flew everywhere with a clattering bang, ricocheting off the surfaces like bullets, causing sparks to fly everywhere.

There was the hissing of a fire extinguisher, followed by the sound of Dum-E beeping angrily.

Loki stood up first, peeking over at the disaster zone that had been his fifth attempt at a stabilizing mirror for the cooling unit. He had started off with a dodecahedron like shape, carefully forming the ice crystals with substantial density, trying to perfect the sheen of the mirror so that the refraction would be perfect. But it had fallen short. And frankly, after the fourth try, he was starting to become irate with Stark’s mockery.

And now Loki stood there, pursing his lips as he surveyed the damage, trying to think on what had gone wrong this time. He had made a perfect hexagonal prism to house the PRC power core. Anthony had set up a containment booth and fed a small amount of the main reactors power into it, watching to see if it would hold. Unfortunately, it seemed the power bounced angrily off the reflection, building heat as it went and resulting in this spectacular display of failure.

Failure. Something which, for Loki, was entirely unacceptable.

“We shall try once more Stark.” Loki snapped and turned around, surprised to see he was seemingly alone in the room. “Stark?” he walked back over to the table they had taken shelter behind.

Bruce was on the floor, kneeling in front of a shivering, frozen in place Tony. He was speaking to his friend in a soft, steady tone as the man stared at the ground, hands clutched behind his head in a hostage position. “You’re here. In the lab. You are in a safe place, Tony.”

Loki blinked in total lack of understanding. “What has happened? Was he hit?”

Bruce gave the god a hard look. “You should go.” He said shortly.

The trickster stiffened to be ordered around by the man. “I will do no such thing.”

“You are one of his potential triggers.” Bruce stood up, careful not to elevate his voice where it might upset his friend. “You need to leave. Be anywhere else in the tower but not right here, not right now. Just go.” A light green flitted through his eyes and Loki took two careful steps backwards. “Go!” he yelled and Tony jerked up, his pupils dilated and unfocused.

Loki did not run, but he left the company of the two men as quickly as he could.

The agents of S.H.I.E.L.D who had been assigned to him no longer lingered in such close proximity. Natasha was still at large somewhere in the tower, and he could see two of the men with ear pieces eyeing him from their positions next to his door. But there were fewer and they did not attempt to follow him further so long as they could continue to track his movements.

It was something of a relief to the god. Their presence had been becoming irksome.

Pepper Potts was not about as she so usually was. As he understood it his ill timed flirtation with Anthony had left the capable woman seriously wanting to hit someone. And as she could not strike Loki and it was not quite Anthony’s fault, she was off to calm her temper in a business meeting in Tokyo.

And for the first time in months, Loki was left relatively alone.

 

***

Tony jerked awake, looking around at the loud, dark city streets. It was early morning, the thin blue haze growing in the distance past the street lamp glow. He swallowed and realized he was boiling hot. Sweat dripped off his body in buckets and he looked around in confusion, trying to orient himself. He swallowed and sank down to the concrete. Last thing he remembered was Bruce moving him to the bedroom, telling Tony he would call Pepper. Let her know he’d had an episode and she would come back as quick as she could. He knew Bruce had given him something to help him sleep, which for Tony meant it was reacting against any number of other self-administered medications he was on.

Tony turned around, he was at least two miles from the tower and exhausted. He started searching for a phone in his pj bottoms and grunted when he found nothing. “JARVIS?” he muttered out hesitantly, laying down on his back.

“Your AI alerted me to your condition.”

The scientist turned his head, looking at the tall shadow in the alleyway.

Loki stepped forward hesitantly, looking around to make sure he would not be viewed. The streets of New York were never abandoned. “JARVIS woke me when you wandered from the tower, his power was currently occupied with an upload to SHIELD.” Loki explained in a curious, slightly bored tone. He took a cell phone from his pocket, tossing it onto Tony’s chest. “I have contacted your friend Rhodey. He has honed in on your tracker within that thing and shall arrive shortly. He did not seem amused by my presence.”

Tony blinked hard and groaned. “How…” he sat up, shaking. “How did you leave the tower?”

Loki came closer once he was sure they were not being watched. “My tracker is located within your bracelet. As long as I tailed you, I can go where you go.”

Tony rubbed his face, flicking the sweat off his fingers. “You tailed me…through down town New York…looking like that?” he smirked, almost impressed. “And you didn’t get caught?”

“I can avoid being seen when I wish.” Loki said with a nod.

“Even without your powers?”

Loki seemed somewhat bemused by this and was about to answer as a car pulled up. Rhodey stepped out, looking from his friend on the ground to the jotun standing up against the wall. Not having seen Loki before, the appearance of the man caught him a little off guard. “Oh…kay.” Rhodey said, giving Loki a long glare up and down. “Okay then.” He put his hands on Tony’s shoulders, stabilizing him in the way men do when they think their buddy might be drunk. “How’re you holding you Tony?”

“Not too good at the moment.” Tony admitted, trying to get up and having to lean on Rhodey to make it.

“You just ran twenty city blocks in the middle of New York summer. You’re gonna be a little exhausted.” The good Lt. colonel joked, trying to get him relaxed. “Tony your heart rate’s going a little hard right now. Imma need you to calm down.”

“Working on it.”

Loki watched with intense curiosity as Rhodey talked Tony down, easing him towards the car. He blinked much like a cat transfixed by a movement and then suddenly straightened with understanding. “Battle fatigue.” Loki surmised out loud.

“Yeah well you’d know wouldn’t you?” Rhodey answered back with an accusatory glare.

“Tower.” Tony said before a verbal smack down could begin.

“Yeah.” Rhodey agreed, supporting Tony on his shoulder and moving towards the car. “You can walk back.” He said without turning to Loki.

“No, he can’t. Needs to ride with me.” Tony lifted his arm, showing the tracker on his wrist that connected to Loki’s.

“Okay fine. Backseat.” He jerked his head as Loki arched an eyebrow at the car. “And for the love of god watch those damn horns on my leather interior.”

A short, but intensely uncomfortable car ride later and Tony was ready to walk on his own. That didn’t stop Rhodey from following him up in the elevator. Loki, surprisingly enough, seemed just as eager to come with them, watching Tony with a somewhat hovering air. He kept watch, but did not interfere as Rhodey got Tony to the showers and told him to wash up, leaving the man and the god alone in the room.

Rhodey glared at Loki with aggressive intentions, crossing his arms and moving into a power stance. Loki however went lax, leaning back as though there were nothing here which could threaten him. In truth, there wasn’t. But the military man was giving it his best effort. “I saw you on the news that day.” He said roughly, his voice full of barely controlled rage. “Standing up on the tower like a big man with your stupid ass horns.” Rhodey gave a chuckle. “Looked pretty foolish when you got knocked down by big green.”

“Were you there?” Loki said with a condescending glower.

“No. But Tony was kind enough to show me the security footage. He even put it on youtube. Laughed my ass off.”

Loki flushed, turning a darker blue across his cheeks. “So glad you found it amusing. Is there a point to this display of posturing?”

Rhodey grimaced and took a step towards the god, his shoulders set as his hands clenched. Loki of course did not move to defend himself. To do so would have implied that this mortal could physically injure him. But his red eyes just dared Rhodey to try.

“Kids! Play nice for daddy!” A sharp chastisement from the bathroom stopped both of them.

Rhodey shook his head and laughed to himself. “You are damn lucky he is here right now.”

“Apparently so.” The god turned away, entirely dismissing the lt. col for now. Tony came out a few minuets later, wearing what appeared to be Pepper’s bathrobe, unless of course Tony was possessed of an inordinately large, fluffy pink robe. Which was not entirely out of the question.

“You can head home now.” Tony said to his friend, tying the robe a little tighter. “I’m fine now. Got JARVIS monitoring my vitals. Called Pepper…”

“You got a phone in the bathroom?”

“Sure.”

“A video phone?”

“Yeah.” Tony gave a soft smile. “Makes those business calls just a bit more interesting.” He coughed and looked Rhodey over. “Anyhow uh, she’ll be here by mid-morning and I’ll hang on till then.”

Rhodey put a hand on Tony’s shoulder, intentionally turning him away from Loki. “You sure you got this? I can stay till Pepper gets here.”

“Hey, I got this. I’m Tony Stark remember, Besides I’m sure I pulled you away from a hot date. Come on Rhodey. Redhead?” he teased, deflecting the subject they were both directly avoiding. “Blond?”

Rhodey laughed. “Come on man you know I like brunettes.” He smacked Tony’s shoulder and nodded. “Alright. You know I’m a phone call away.” He gave Loki one last, unsure look before heading for the door.

Tony just sort of nodded and realized Loki was still there, leaning against the fridge, watching him. “So…” he swallowed, tightening the robe. “Thanks. For ya know, keeping an eye on me.”

“You are my host. It would be impolite to allow injury to come to you.” Loki said and smiled just a little. “And… I believe I still owe you somewhat, for Hela.” He explained.

“Yeah.” Tony turned, not knowing what else to say as he headed for his rooms.

“Battle fatigue.”

Tony turned, not understanding.

“I was not aware mortals could suffer from it. But even Asgardian’s are susceptible. Poor sleep patterns, aggravated reactions to loud noises, sleep walking.” Loki rattled off like a psychiatrist. “These are symptoms. You should see a healer…a doctor.”

“Saw them. Saw plenty.”

“And they could not help?” Tony turned, gritting his teeth. “Ah, you did not want their help.” Loki surmised and stepped closer. “Pride is a failing amongst all men. But if even the great warriors of Asgard could submit to the healers touch…” Tony didn’t answer as Loki reached forward and slipped a hand against his temple. After the heat of the shower and exhaustion of running, the cold fingers were surprisingly relaxing. He closed his eyes and instinctively leaned into it. The touch lingered.

“Not a big fan of doctors.” Tony muttered.

“I am no healer, but there are spells. Even if all you wish is to sleep through the night I can provide something.” Loki offered.

“Can I trust you not to poison me?”

That earned him a wry chuckle. “Of course not. But as the administration is physical as oppose to internal, I believe poison would be an unreliable method.”

Tony chuffed, shaking his head. Why did that cold touch feel so good? “I would really like to sleep.”

Loki nodded to the couch. “Lie down.”

 _Whoa now._ “No funny business.” He reiterated, wanting to be sure of this. Okay so Fury had, in not so obvious terms, told him to flirt. Okay, fine. But there was a big difference between flirting and taking that next big step.

“I swore not to attempt anything with you, Anthony Stark. And unless you have changed your mind regarding this…” Loki slid his fingers under the pink collar of the robe with a bit of a look at Tony’s chest. “I would not risk further humiliation to my ego.”

Tony nodded. “Sure. Okay Snowflake.” He laid down on the couch. “Show me what Asgardian magic can do.”


	10. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when you thought I would never update...

The fingers touched at his shoulders briefly, tugging down the pink fluff of the robe before pressing back down on the neck muscle. Tony jerked at the icy touch and gasped before he settled back down. He watched the dark red eyes close as Loki breathed deep. “So…what are you doing right now?”

“Something that would be a great deal easier if you would be silent.” Loki snapped and then seemed to realize just how impossible this was. “I cannot, in my current state, summon a Soul Forge. Had I access to the aether I could manage a bit better. As it stands I will have to rely on applications of common healing and a bit of jotun magic.” He touched the shoulders a bit longer, then transferred his hands to other pressure points along Tony’s spine. The chilling touch lingered in each area, radiating long past the initial contact as though leaving markers. It took Tony a few minutes to realize Loki was finding the sore and tense spots in his body.

“Thought you didn’t have much control of this stuff.” He said absently. It was too awkward not to let conversation fill up the gaps.

“I am learning. Magic is much like science in this manner.” Loki said, his voice taking on the tone of a preoccupied person.

“Explain.” Tony insisted as the chill spread over his back. A brief flit went through his mind as he considered what he had seen that same magic do to the chitauri warriors. It brought home just how much faith he was putting in Loki’s word that he would not harm someone he owed a debt to. It could be total bullshit for all he knew! Tony made a mental note to bring it up the next time he saw Thor.

Loki hummed, lifting his hands off the body and carefully working the cold deeper. Tony tensed and hissed, but then settled into the sensation. The jotun was no longer technically touching him anymore, but rather manipulating the chill he’d left deeper into Tony’s body. It was a strange, numbing sensation that pulsed in and out of his muscles. But not entirely an unpleasant one.

“With magic, everything is tied up together. Answers often just lead to more questions. It can take years to unravel even the most basic spells, and the really tough ones take eons.” Loki pulled back, noting that Tony was shivering a bit. He let the cold die down enough that the man could ease back before reapplying the nodes of pressure. “Science is much the same. Every new discovery only leads to more unanswered questions. And it is my understanding that scientists often waste their lives I the pursuit of something beyond them.”

“We are often limited by the technology of our time.” Tony said, thinking on something.

“What do you mean by that?”

Tony adjusted his position a little. “Less than a hundred and fifty years ago, this British dude named Babbage made something he called an Analytical Engine. It didn’t do much, comparatively, but it proved that a machine could be useful in complex arithmetic logic. In the forties, they had these massive machines that took up entire floors, all to do one set of computations. Now…you see that little USB drive over on the coffee table. That little thing not much bigger than my thumb?” Loki nodded at the indicated item. “That little device could hold all the information from the last four generations of computer development and then some. And JARVIS, well he’s a wonder in his own right.”

_Always good to be appreciated sir._

“And what is your creature exactly?” Loki could not help but ask as he looked about. He has become used to the sound of JARVIS in the tower, but had asked no questions regarding the ethereal presence.

“He’s an AI. A learning computer.” Tony explained. “JARVIS is essentially responsible for the functions of the tower as a whole. Everything from the AC to the suit, JARVIS maintained, controls, repairs and stabilizes. With some direction from me of course.”

“And this JARVIS, he is not a person then?”

“Well, not technically no. But he can make his own decisions, within reason. And I’ve always thought of him as a person.”

_I echo your sentiment, sir._

Tony chuckled. If there was anything that proved the genius of his work, it was JARVIS’s ability to use sarcasm as a term of endearment.

“So JARVIS is your electronic servant then?”

“I prefer the term, AI assistant. But yeah, he functions extemporaneously at this point. I don’t usually have to tell him what to do anymore unless it’s a special command.”

“This is…impressive.” Loki said with just a note of fascination in his voice. “Mages often study for centuries to be capable of creating sentient entities. Usually one simply summons one, as any neophyte is capable of doing. But to make self-aware life, even incorporeal…”

“Well…JARVIS isn’t technically alive, so to speak.” Tony said, maybe a little worried he might offend with his terminology.

“Your perception of alive and mine are somewhat different. There are many beings within the cosmos which are, for all intents and purposes, not alive, and yet could not qualify as dead either. My daughter being one of them.”

“Your daughter.” Tony muttered, remembering the child they had rescued. “Oh…yeah I guess so.”

“Turn over, I wish to work on your chest area.”

Tony went to move, preparing himself for a stiff sensation as was surprised to discover just how loose and relaxed his muscles felt. The robe shifted lightly to one side and Loki’s eyes fell on the reactor. The blue light seemed to compliment his tones further, casting brilliant dramatic shadows over his features.

“And this…” Loki frowned. “This particular bauble troubles me.”

The billionaire couldn’t help but grin. “Yeah. Without this little baby you might have actually stood a chance.”

Brilliant green eyes looked dourly from Tony to the reactor. Quick as a flash his hands moved, parting the mortal from his tool.

“Fuck! Hey!” Tony shot up, reaching for it. In the same instant, he felt a measure of panic swim over him. Loki’s expression wasn’t malicious, rather curious. He peered at the invention like a cat with a shiny toy, inspecting it from all sides with the same level of intrepid fascination. Tony froze, watching the blue hands hold it carefully.

Loki pursed his lips and slid the device back into its place, locking it down easily. “It is a wonder.” He mused, his placid face breaking into a grin. “A wonder that a mortal could construct such a device.”

Tony felt the ache settle and for a moment seriously debated decking Loki. Instead his exhaustion caught up with him and he flopped back down to the couch, letting Loki get back to work on his numbing massage. “Dick move, Lokes.” He growled out and put a hand protectively over the ARC.

“I would not have harmed it.” Loki insisted lightly.

“How am I to know that?”

Loki seemed almost insulted by the question, pausing momentarily in his light touches. “You see, this is the trouble with Midgard. You’re people have no codes regarding behavior.” He sniffed in that annoyingly superior way that people who think they are better than everyone have. “Especially regarding prisoners of war.”

“Oh really?” Tony licked his lips, Loki’s hands were touching gently along his inner thighs. Ignoring their obvious placement, it actually felt quite soothing. Whatever spells the trickster was using on him, his body was becoming increasingly soporific. He felt cold, but not chilly. Just like his muscles were relaxing under the precise application.

The frost giant tsked. “Let us assume for a moment that Asgard were to wage war on Midgard.”

“Thor wouldn’t let that happen.” Tony said quickly. He had confidence in his friend but he saw Loki stiffen uncomfortably at the mention of his brother.

“Thor is not king of Asgard. Odin is. And given how his son is spending an inordinate amount of time here, one never knows.” Loki tossed his black hair back with an annoying level of arrogance.

 _Annoying_. Yeah, that was frequently a good way to describe the god.

“At any rate, while there would obviously be causalities, any commanding officer or distinguished warrior captured during battle would be treated as a noble hostage. It is a code of honor amongst seasoned warriors.” Loki splayed out his fingers as he explained, watching as Tony’s muscles tensed almost painfully and then released with ease. “It is something that has been in practice for millennium.”

“Uhuh. And do captured warriors get this kind of personal treatment?” Tony couldn’t resist asking.

Loki nodded his head. “If they suffer from battle fatigue, then yes. Though no warrior of the Nine Realms would ever admit to it publically. They would be disgraced.” Loki caught Tony’s questioning face and sighed. “The state I saw you in, your behavior, it is known amongst the Aesir as _sóa kappinn_. Literally, it means ‘wasting warrior’, but we also call it battle fatigue. It is when a soldier has seen too much blood and chaos in the service of their king and begins to deteriorate mentally and physically.”

“Uh-huh. And big bad warrior Asgardians don’t want to admit they’ve got a problem.” Tony scoffed.

Loki gave a small smirk. “Big bad Iron Man doesn’t want to admit he’s got a problem.” He tilted his head, his horns casting a shadow over Tony in the light. “Anthony Stark would rather submit to a jotun’s touch than accept psychological counsel as his Miss Potts has asked him to do several times.”

Tony shot up, glaring at Loki angrily. “And just what do you know about that?”

Loki seemed pleased with himself, his sheepishness entirely self-gratifying. “I pay attention Anthony. I hear what is said, and what is implied when it is not said. This is not the first attack you have had since I have been in residence. But during the others, Miss Potts was there to comfort and console you. Like many Asgardian warriors, you do not wish to seem weak or frail, so you deny yourself the healing you truly need.” Loki gestured to himself. “I can soothe your hurts. A trained healer could do much better. But the physical is only one component. Poor Anthony is more broken than the world knows.”

Tony honest to god wondered if he could get away with tossing Loki out a window. _See how this fucker likes it_. “And what about you?”

“What about me?” Loki asked, curious despite himself.

“You deflect as a natural defense don’t you. It’s easy to point out other people’s problems rather than your own. Rude, by the by.” He rolled his eyes.

“I do not have your battle fatigue.” Loki answered with the affront one might have expected of a prince of Asgard.

“No, but you have a heap of troubles you’d love to lay down at someone else’s feet. Why else would you try to kiss me? Actually, now that I think about it, why else would you even stay here?” Tony knew he’d landed on something with the deadpan reaction Loki was giving him and perused it. “You’ve been stuck here what, just a couple months shy of a year? For most of the time your company has either been polar bears or SHIELD agents. And before that, chitauri. And those guys don’t exactly seem like conversational geniuses.” Tony smirked. “You might not have wounded warrior issues, but you’ve got plenty of your own. And the first one being that you’re lonely as fuck.”

Loki grimaced, glaring at the mortal as though he were a scraped bug on a boot. “And you think I would select your company?”

“Beggars can’t be choosers.” Tony shrugged.

“Indeed.”

“Oh come on, don’t be like that.” Tony sat up slowly, feeling much better. “Is it so bad to just admit you missing talking to people? A guy like you need scintillating conversation and social interaction. You can’t manipulate an empty room can you?”

Maybe he didn’t realize it, but a little tug at the corner of his lips meant Loki was keeping himself from smiling. “Truth in that.” He admitted casually.

Now that made Tony smile. “Look, you’re going to be here a while right? And you can’t keep holding yourself up in your rooms every day and night.”

“I assist you and Dr. Banner in the laboratory. I do not utterly isolate myself.” Loki raised one brow skeptically. “Oh, now this _is_ a first. How did we go from speaking on your troubles to mine?”

“Admitting you got problems is the first step.” He just couldn’t resist. “Yeah, you help with the labs. You appear long enough to grab food and then disappear back into your rooms…”

“And when my host goes off for a two in the morning jaunt.” Loki said, smiling a little more.

Tony nodded absently. “Everyone knows you’re here. Why not come meet the group? Not such a bad gang once you get to know us.”

Loki tilted his head from one side to the next, looking as thought he were considering the notion. “I…do not think this would be a good idea. I would not be welcomed.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Anthony, you have been accommodating. And it is not unappreciated, that much I swear by. But your Natasha has made it clear to me not to mistake her presence for comradery on any level. She is a watcher and jailer as much as you are. More so even. Dr. Banner is amicable. But he does it out of the desire to be stable, not for enjoyable conversation. Your Captain Rogers spoke to me only insofar as was required during our little mission and to ensure me that if I were to injure you not even SHIELD would keep him from getting to me.”

“Wow. Remind me to tell Capsicle how touched I am.”

“Agent Barton, while I have not spoken to him recently I feel certain that is due more to his unwillingness to communicate than mine. Not that I blame him on that count. Still, not going to turn op for a lunch outing now is he. And Thor…” Loki took a deep breath. “Thor will not speak to me, even were I willing.” Loki sighed and shook his head. “No, Anthony. I thank you for your offer. But I think it best for the moment if I keep to my aid in your efforts and myself.”

Tony sat there, mind racing for something comforting to say. He sucked at that. He wasn’t good at being nice. Not outright. So perhaps what came next shouldn’t have been blurted out. “What about just me and Pepper then?”

Loki’s laugh was short and sharp. “After my little debacle? I do believe I am on the patient Miss Pott’s list of shit.”

“I’ve been there before. It’s a short list, but easy to get off of.” Tony stood up, adjusting his robe so it wouldn’t slip. “Look, just, tell her you misunderstood the parameters of our relationship or something.”

“I did not.” Loki answered smoothly. “I was entirely aware you two are paramours. I didn’t care. At the moment.”

“Then tell her that’s how shit rolls in Asgard.” Tony said, trying to find an in somewhere. Okay he didn’t want to fuck the guy. _Liar._ But who knew how long Loki might be here. Was it so unreasonable to want everyone to get along? “Come on Thor has told me enough stories about his younger years. It’s not like polyamory is unheard of in the golden halls.”

Loki groaned. “One day, I will read to you the Laws and Writs concerning Marriages in Asgard and explain to you everything wrong with what you’ve just said. But for the moment…” The blue god tossed the idea back and forth in his head. Maybe it was Tony’s puppy dog eyes that finally won him over. Loki finally scoffed with surrender. “Very well. I see no reason to add Miss Potts to my list of enemies. I will attempt to redress her.”

Tony clapped his hands. “Deal. She gets home in the morning, we’ll do brunch.”

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to blame Pepsi and Tom Hiddleston as well as my obsession with how unfairly hot FrostIron is for EVERYTHING that is about to happen.


End file.
